Guide on Internet Censorship Monitoring 15th Malaysia General Election
This guide explains how to spot and report internet censorship during Malaysia’s 15th General Election (GE15) on November 19, 2022. It’s based on lessons from the previous election, when Malaysiakini’s live voting site was blocked. The goal is simple: make sure people can freely access information and express themselves online by catching and recording any signs of interference. Anyone can help by using the OONI Probe app on their phone to run quick tests on websites and services that might be blocked. The guide gives clear, step-by-step instructions and even includes clickable OONI Run links, so you can test sites straight from your browser. The list covers 62 websites, split into groups like news outlets, NGOs, political parties, election monitoring platforms, and social media. Messaging apps like WhatsApp are also included, since they could be targeted. If you find something that looks like censorship, you can send the test results to Sinar Project via Twitter DM or email. They’ll check the data, confirm the issue, and keep a record of it. By getting the public involved and using open-source tools, the project aims to build a clear picture of what’s happening online during the election. That way, there’s evidence if sites are blocked, and it can be used to push for stronger protection of digital rights in Malaysia.
GE15 will be held on 19 November 2022 with Nomination day on 5 November and 15 November set for early voting.
Malaysians will elect Members of Parliament for the 15th Parliament of Malaysia and also for those in Perak, Pahang, and Perlis, their respective Members of State Legislative Assembly.
In the last GE14, we reported blocking of Malaysiakini's live voting site: live.undi.info
As part of our efforts to increase the transparency of Internet censorship, Sinar Project will be monitoring internet censorship during this event by collecting evidence of network interference and internet censorship using OONI Probe and OONI Run.
We are focusing on collecting evidence of internet censorship on instant messaging apps and targeted websites that are potentially at risk of censorship, particularly news and media sites, and NGO sites.
Call to action
Join us in ensuring freedom of expression and access to information are protected on the internet.
Help us to collect evidence of detecting online censorship by following these 2 simple steps:
Install OONI App
Run the tests!
To check and test whether GE15 related sites are blocked:
Click here to test ALL GE15 related sites Click here to test news and media sites Click here to test politicians and political parties sites Click here to test social media sites Click here to test Official Election Commission sites Click here to test Election Monitoring sites
Note that these links can only be opened on the OONI Probe Mobile App via mobile browsers. They do not work on the OONI Probe Desktop App.
To check and test whether Instant Messaging apps such as Whatsapp is blocked:
What happens if you detect network censorship or you suspect your connection is being censored?
Share the data link so we can help verify.
From the test result details, the three dots on the top right (Android), you can share get a copy of the data URL.
- DM us on Twitter @sinarproject with the link; OR
- Email [email protected] with the link
Current list of websites tested
A list of all websites tested is available here.
There are 62 URLs in total.