Malaysia's telecoms regulator has abandoned a plan to block foreign DNS services a day after announcing it, following a strong backlash and allegations of government overreach.
Fahmi orders MCMC not to proceed with DNS redirection
On Friday, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) published an FAQ [PDF] stating that it had instructed all ISPs to redirect traffic bound for offshore DNS servers to services operated by Malaysian ISPs – a move it claimed would prevent access to harmful and malicious websites such as those related to gambling, pornography, copyright infringement or fraud.
"No, the DNS redirection will not affect your connection speed or browsing experience for legitimate websites," the commission promised in its FAQ.
But opposition to the plan quickly emerged, on the grounds that it could amount to censorship and therefore represented government overreach.
