Remove leaked photos, videos and personal data from Telegram

Telegram’s position in Malaysia

Telegram received its Malaysian platform licence in January 2025, as one of the services with 8 million or more users in the country. Since 1 January 2026 the Online Safety Act 2025 therefore requires it to run a reporting system, acknowledge reports within 1 hour and assess them within 12 hours. MCMC has already taken Telegram to court, in June 2025, for failing to act on reported content.

There is one large exception. The Act does not apply to private messaging features, and Telegram’s own FAQ states that it does not process any request about private groups and chats. Public channels, public groups, bots and sticker sets are a different matter: those can be reported, and that is where leaks are advertised and sold.

What we see on Telegram

• Leak channels posting intimate photos or videos of named Malaysian women and men, often with their Instagram handle or university. In 2020 one such group had about 38,000 members.
• Face-swap and AI groups turning ordinary profile photos into sexual images: see deepfake removal.
• Paid bots and “VIP” links that sell folders of private content and push teasers to public channels.
• Doxxing channels listing names, IC numbers, taman addresses and phone numbers: see doxxing removal.
• Loan shark pressure where a debtor’s photo is posted with insults or a fake death notice: see loan shark post removal.

The routes Telegram offers, and how we use them

Our Telegram removal work, step by step

1. Mapping. From the first link you send, we look for the other channels, mirrors and bots carrying the same content, and the Google results that show them.
2. Reports. In-app reports and an abuse email per channel, plus a copyright notice where you own the content, within 48 hours of payment.
3. MCMC complaint, filed by us under section 24, when content stays up after Telegram’s 12-hour assessment window.
4. Google requests for any public t.me page or preview that appears in search results with your name.
5. Re-check and repeat. Leak channels are often deleted and recreated under a new name. Larger packs include monitoring and fresh reports for each new copy.

When the police should be involved

If a channel shares images of anyone under 18, or someone is threatening to post your content unless you pay, report it in person at a police station; our sextortion help page explains the first steps. Doxxing has been an offence under Penal Code section 507E since July 2025. We prepare the evidence file, with links, dates and screenshots, so you can make the report quickly. NetClearer is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. Telegram is one of several places a leak usually reaches; for the full picture see intimate image removal.