PUTRAJAYA: Online security remains a priority for the government and the MCMC has been tasked to thoroughly examine and find more effective solutions after the Domain Name System (DNS) rerouting issue, says Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had been instructed to continue engagement sessions with all service providers to find solutions to address online security issues.
"What is important now, I stress, is that the (government's) priority is to ensure the Internet is safer for children and families.
"We are considering crimes that are increasingly migrating to cyberspace – not only on social media but also on what we know as the World Wide Web," he said at a weekly post-Cabinet meeting press conference here, on Wednesday (Sept 11).
On Sept 7, MCMC's chief network security officer Datuk Dr Mohamed Sulaiman Sultan Suhaibuddeen said that its directive for Internet service providers (ISPs) to redirect queries to third-party DNS servers back to their own DNS servers would not affect, disrupt, or block users from accessing legitimate websites.
He added that the websites affected are those that violate Malaysian laws, resulting in restrictions so they cannot be accessed by Malaysians.
Subsequently, MCMC was instructed not to proceed with the directive mandating all ISPs in Malaysia to perform DNS rerouting.
Fahmi, who is also government spokesman, said the government would not compromise on its priority and commitment to making the Internet safer, especially for vulnerable groups.
"Therefore, more comprehensive measures and efforts need to be undertaken, and I have asked MCMC to thoroughly examine and find more effective solutions.
"Engagement sessions have begun and will continue," he added.
