Malaysia is cracking down on VPN misuse, but your VPN stays perfectly legal

Date:
Fri, 03 Jul 2026 16:40:47 +0000

Description:
Malaysia says it will act against VPNs used to facilitate crimes such as online scams and child exploitation, but ministers confirm that ordinary, lawful VPN use remains legal.

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Malaysia beefs up action
against VPN used to facilitate crimes Misuse includes bypassing the new under-16 social media ban Officials have stressed that owning or using a VPN is not an offence Malaysia is set to take action if VPN are used to
facilitate criminal activities or help residents bypass the new social media age limit.

According to local reports , Deputy Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said the government is working closely with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to counter VPNs and borrowed identities that are being used to slip past newly enforced social media age limits. For the many people who reach for the best VPN services to protect their browsing, encrypt their traffic, or simply keep their data out of advertisers' hands, the reassuring takeaway is that the tool itself is not
the target. What the authorities want to reach is the small share of activity where a VPN is used as a shield for something illegal. What Malaysia actually announced The comments came during a question-and-answer session on
cybercrime and age verification. Shamsul Anuar explained that police would draw on public complaints and their own investigations to identify cases
where VPNs or identity-masking tools are being abused, and that such misuse could be treated as an added element of an offence.

He was clear that the crackdown is aimed at conduct, not software. The minister framed the effort as part of Malaysia's wider push to protect children online, pointing to a sharp rise in offences. You may like Reality check: Could the UK's social media ban lead to VPN restrictions? UK governments child safety plans could expose kids to 'greater harms,' warns
VPN industry group From essential security tools to restricted circumvention software: The EU signals that VPNs are the next target following the release of its age verification app

This sits on top of Malaysia's under-16 social media ban , which took effect on 1 June 2026 under the Online Safety Act 2025. Large platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube must now verify users' ages and
block under-16s from registering, with non-compliance carrying penalties reported at up to RM10 million.

VPNs enter the picture because they are an obvious way to make it look as though a user is somewhere the rules do not apply. Age verification laws elsewhere, such as Australia and the UK , have repeatedly triggered spikes in VPN sign-ups, with many often being adults looking to protect the sensitive documents these systems ask them to hand over. Today's best VPN deals NordVPN 2 Year 2.59 /mth View +3 months free Surfshark 24 Months 1.49 /mth View
Proton VPN 24 Month 2.39 /mth View We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices What it means for everyday VPN users For most people, this is not a reason to stop using a VPN, and it is not a ban in disguise.

Digital rights groups, however, have been sharply critical of the age-verification model underpinning the ban.

ARTICLE 19 , alongside local partners, has argued the measure was rushed, is disproportionate, and risks normalising surveillance while exposing people's identity documents and biometric data to misuse. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!



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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/vpn/vpn-privacy-security/malaysia-is-cracking-down-o n-vpn-misuse-but-your-vpn-stays-perfectly-legal


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