DNS redirection order is draconian - PKR’s Altimet

• UPDATED 4.30PM | Added Muda’s comments.

A PKR assemblyperson has called the requirement for internet service providers (ISP) to implement domain name service (DNS) redirection “a draconian measure”.

Rapper-turned-politician Syed Ahmad Syed Abdul Rahman Alhadad, better known as Altimet, said the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) could take other measures to better protect netizens from vulnerable content.

“This is not the way forward. I disagree with this decision,” Altimet said in a statement published on his X account today.

Tagging Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in his post, Altimet further said the measure may negatively affect the digital economy that the country is trying to cultivate.

The Lembah Jaya representative was commenting on a BFM post quoting the MCMC’s defence of the redirection measure, saying it was to protect vulnerable groups from accessing malicious websites.

‘Veiled attack on democracy’

Meanwhile, Muda called the redirection requirement an attack on the freedom of speech disguised as a move to protect Malaysians.

The party’s information chief, Leben Siddarth, said that the measure is not just about limiting harmful content but also controlling public discourse and filtering the voices that challenge the government.

“The right to access information is fundamental to any democracy. 

“By implementing DNS redirection, the government is not only overstepping its authority but also undermining the freedom of speech enshrined in our Constitution,” he said in a statement today.

The youth party also urged Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil to re-evaluate the policy and to engage in transparent discussions with stakeholders, including internet rights groups, civil society, and the public, to find more balanced solutions that protect users without sacrificing democratic freedoms.

Two days ago, it was reported that ISPs are now required to implement DNS redirection by the end of this month, according to the Maxis FAQ titled “Maxis Business DNS Redirection”.

The telco stated that this will affect entities using public DNS services, such as Google’s DNS (8.8.8.8 or 8.8.4.4) and Cloudflare’s DNS (1.1.1.1 or 1.0.0.1).

Redirection can cause unintended issues

On Aug 6, digital rights group Sinar Project sounded the alarm after its testing found that some ISPs - including Maxis - had been surreptitiously redirecting DNS requests intended for third-party services (such as Google or Cloudflare) back to their own DNS servers.

While there are legitimate reasons for using third-party DNS services, the new move also plugs a loophole that would otherwise allow internet users to access websites banned by the MCMC.

Sinar Project noted that redirecting users to unauthenticated websites different from the intended website can “pose a security risk and result in unexpected technical issues”.

Nevertheless, Maxis assured customers that DNS redirection is safe and would not jeopardise users’ privacy.

It should be noted that the MCMC had also blocked legitimate news websites in the past - including Malaysiakini and the now-defunct The Malaysian Insider - as well as some websites critical of the government.

The MCMC maintains that a vast majority of blocked websites since 2022 fall within one of five categories: gambling, pornography, copyright violation, scams or illegal investment schemes, and prostitution.

For context, a DNS service is akin to an address book used by computers for navigating the internet.

For example, when a user keys in a website’s URL such as “malaysiakini.com”, the computer would query a DNS server, which would respond by providing the internet protocol address (IP address; a set of numbers such as 104.22.21.197) for reaching the website.

By default, computers are typically configured to use the DNS servers provided by their ISPs such as TM, Maxis, Yes, or Time, but users with little know-how can also configure it to use a different DNS service if desired.

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