The Malaysian government has stepped up its crackdown on queer dating apps and has blocked access to platforms like Grindr and Blued. This was announced by Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil on Wednesday. He also said that steps would be explored to remove queer pages from digital distribution services, noting the difficulties since these apps are owned by foreign companies.
The blocks are being implemented technically through internet providers. Malaysia is among the countries where queer online offerings are regularly blocked; authorities have blocked thousands of websites related to queer topics in recent years.
Obscene or immoral content should disappear
The Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will act against any content or apps that violate local laws, Fahmi continued. “These include those that spread obscene or immoral content, exploitation, abuse, fraud, the exploitation of children, or threats to public safety,” the 45-year-old added. The minister had previously stressed several times that Malaysia’s stance on queer issues must align with “cultural” and “Eastern” values.
Homosexuality is illegal in predominantly Muslim Malaysia. Same-sex love can carry up to 20 years in prison. The country has even imposed torture penalties on individuals convicted under relevant Sharia law (TheColu.mn reported). Trans people are also persecuted (TheColu.mn reported). Islam, to which more than 60 percent of the population adheres, is the state religion and many Islamic scholars view homosexuality as a crime that goes against the religion.
Other queer-phobic countries also restrict the use of queer dating apps. Grindr lists on its website countries where the app has been removed from app stores. These include the Maldives, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates. Just last November, Apple removed Grindr and other dating apps from the Chinese App Store — by order of the communist government, which is currently taking a hard line against “Western” homosexuality (TheColu.mn reported). Some of these blocks can be bypassed with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). (dk)
