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Did US Send 7000 Insects To Destroy Crops In China?!

Did the US try to send 7,000 Drosophila insects into China to destroy their crops?! Take a look at viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Updated @ 2024-03-23 : Updated for new release
Originally posted @ 2023-04-19

Claim : US Sent 7,000 Insects To Destroy Crops In China!

People are sharing a video of a Chinese news report about Chinese custom officials discovering 66 containers of some 7,000 insects in a parcel shipped from the US.

They allege that this is evidence of American sabotage – that the US sent those insects to destroy crops in China. The video is often shared with such messages :

China customs found 7000 insects sent from the USA. Out to destroy crops in China.

An evil country on the way down trying to pull others down too with sickening and rather despicable tactics !
🤬🤬🤬

The video showed China 🇨🇳 Port Custom, checked a luggage claimed to contain clothing. But when scanned through & upon suspicion, Custom Officers opened up the bag. They found there were more than 60 bottles containing the larvae of Drosophila, some 7k of it. If these bottles of larvae Drosophila were successfully smuggled into China & the matured Drosophila spread throughout the whole China. It will destroy all the fruits plantation/orchards. The matured ones multiplies & spread very fast. The luggage is from USA 🇺🇸. The acts of inhumanity in infecting & destroying China 🇨🇳 food chain. Evilness knows no boundries.

Did the US try to send 7,000 fruit flies into China to destroy their crops?! 😲🤔

Here is my fact check : https://t.co/plL00Op2DC #TechARP #China #UnitedStates #Wumao #Propaganda #Controversy #Agriculture #Crops #Food #Safety #Danger #Facts #FactsMatter #FactCheck #FakeNews pic.twitter.com/ue90TcI1mw

— Dr. Adrian Wong (@DrAdrianWong) April 20, 2023

In addition to claiming that these insects are dangerous to crops, some pro-CCP or Chinese-sponsored websites are promoting the claim that these insects had their genes edited to become “more infectious”, like a “super mosquito”.

They also point out that each of these insects can reproduce every 10 days, laying 400 eggs in their lifetime to quickly produce a swarm that will destroy fruits in China, by corrupting them with bacteria and fungi.

Truth : US Did Not Send 7,000 Insects To Destroy Crops In China!

This is yet another example of fake news created by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), and shared by pro-CCP netizens and websites, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : The Incident Happened In July 2022

First, let us establish what we know about this case.

Sometime in early July 2022, Qingdao customs officers examined a package sent from the United States. Its declaration form claimed that the parcel contained clothes.

When they opened it up, they found two pieces of clothes inside, with 66 sealed tubes containing eggs, larvae, pupae and adult insects.

After analysing them, Qingdao custom officers estimated that the 66 tubes contained roughly 7,000 fruit flies, specifically of the species Drosophila melanogaster.

Fact #2 : Drosophila megalogaster Is Present Worldwide

Drosophila melanogaster is known as the common fruit fly, which is commonly present across the world. Yes, this fruit fly is already present in China.

Despite originating in Africa – it is now present on all continents across the world, including islands.

Fact #3 : Drosophila megalogaster Can Lay Up To 2,000 Eggs

The Chinese media promoting this story can’t even get their facts right, claiming that these fruit flies lay up to 400 eggs in their lifetime.

Drosophila melanogaster females are far more productive than that – they can lay up to 100 eggs a day, and up to 2,000 eggs in a lifetime.

Fact #4 : Drosophila megalogaster Do Not Cause Fruits To Rot

Drosophila melanogaster is not an economic pest, even though no one welcomes them in their home.

It is often confused with Tephritidae – a different family of insects that are also called fruit flies, some of which are economic pests that destroy fruits.

Unlike Tephritidae fruit flies, Drosophila melanogaster do not destroy fruits. They are attracted to fruit that is already rotting, but do not cause fruits to rot.

The claims that the US sent Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies to destroy crops in China is nonsense.

Fact #5 : Drosophila megalogaster Is Commonly Used For Research

Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies are very popular in scientific research, for many reasons :

they are easy and cheap to care for, requiring little equipment and space
they have a rapid life cycle of 10 days, allowing several generations to be studied in a few weeks
each female can produce many offspring, laying up to 2,000 eggs in its lifetime
they have simple genetics, with only four pairs of chromosomes
their genome was completely sequenced and published in the year 2000

Scientists do not mention this as a reason for using Drosophila melanogaster, but I think it is important to note that it is not a pest, so accidental release of these fruit flies would not pose any danger of any form or kind.

Fact #6 : Drosophila megalogaster Is Commonly Shipped Worldwide

Because it is a model organism for research, Drosophila melanogaster is bred and shipped internationally to researchers worldwide.

The College of Agriculture and Life Science at Cornell University, for example, breeds and sells Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, which they ship internationally including China.

Fact #7 : 2021 Seized Shipment Was Meant For Chinese Research Institute

This wasn’t the first time China seized live Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies in such tubes.

In June 2021, Chinese custom officials found 58 tubes containing more than 1,000 of these fruit flies in an imported parcel addressed to a Chinese research institute.

They seized the parcel because its contents were not declared, and it lacked an import permit.

Fact #8 : China Requires Quarantine For Live Insects

China forbids live insects from being mailed or carried into the country, without special quarantine or approval. However, quarantine is a problem for Drosophila melanogaster because it has such a short lifespan of just 50 days.

Hence, it is possible that Chinese researchers are trying to circumvent the quarantine by importing live Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, without an import permit which would require quarantine.

It is also possible that these fruit flies are being imported as a live food source for people’s pet fish, frogs and other animals.

Fact #9 : Cornell University Warned About Chinese Import Permit

Cornell University specifically warned Chinese researchers trying to purchase these fruit flies that :

As of November 1, 2014, we can only offer free replacements for shipments of live flies to China that were accompanied by an import permit.

That suggests that they lost shipments to China in the past, because they lacked import permits.

Fact #10 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda

This is really nothing more than yet another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛). Here is just the latest dozen I fact-checked:

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Can You Buy China Spy Balloon On Alibaba For $18?!

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Can you buy the infamous spy balloon from China on Alibaba for just RMB 118 / $18?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : You Can Buy China Spy Balloon On Alibaba For $18!

Pro-CCP netizens are trying to push the narrative that the infamous spy balloon from China is really a cheap weather balloon that anyone can buy from Alibaba!

They are sharing a screenshot of an Alibaba store on WhatsApp and social media platforms, claiming that you can buy the same “spy balloon” for just RMB 118 / $18!

You can buy this balloon to scare the US for 118 RMB.. warning fighter jets might be sent to shoot it down..

Truth : You Cannot Buy China Spy Balloon On Alibaba For $18!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created and propagated by the Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛) or pro-CCP netizens, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Chinese Balloon Was Not A Weather Balloon

First, let us start with a basic fact – the US Air Force shot down a spy balloon from China, not a weather balloon.

Weather balloons are common – thousands are launched daily across the world to collect information on the temperature, wind and moisture in the upper atmosphere.

Weather balloons are not very large – expanding from 6 feet (1.8 metres) to 20 feet (6 metres) in diameter as they rise in altitude. Their payloads are also small, consisting of a small box with a few sensors.

The Chinese spy balloon that the US Air Force shot down was not only much larger at around 90 feet (27.5 metres) wide, it also had a very large payload that included large solar panels, and even propellers to control its movement.

Real weather balloons also do not travel far – they generally go up to a high altitude and stay there. Spy balloons, on the other hand, need to travel long distances. This Chinese balloon travelled thousands of kilometres from China to Alaska to Canada, before reaching the continental United States.

Fact #2 : RMB 118 Weather Balloon Is Small

I traced the viral photo to this Alibaba store selling latex weather balloons. As expected, the RMB 118 / $18 balloon that pro-CCP netizens were promoting is small…

The store offered four sizes, with slightly elevated prices in US dollars (it’s cheaper in Chinese Yuan):

48 inches (4 feet) : $4.80
72 inches (6 feet) : $6.40
96 inches (8 feet) : $17.80
120 inches (10 feet) : $23.60

As I pointed above, the spy balloon that flew from China all the way to the United States was about 90 feet (27.5 metres) wide. It’s roughly 729X larger than the weather balloon sold on Alibaba!

Fact #3 : Viral Photo Was Edited

The viral photo appears to have been edited, by taking a screenshot of the Alibaba store using a mobile phone, and combining it with a photo of the actual spy balloon from China.

The intent appears to make it look like they are both the same balloon, and are being sold on Alibaba for just RMB 118 / $18.

The truth is – the actual Alibaba store does not show any photos of the spy balloon from China, which has a large payload platform and solar panels.

Instead, the Alibaba store only shows this photo of a latex weather balloon being held by a man – a good indication of just how small it is, compared to the real spy balloon. The other photos in the Alibaba store shows the available balloon sizes, and how much they weigh.

Fact #4 : This Is Just Chinese Propaganda

This is just another example of Chinese propaganda created by the infamous Chinese 50 Cent Army (wumao, 五毛), or pro-CCP netizens.

All of the wumao articles and videos that I looked at so far have proven to be false… at every instance. So please watch out for such false claims.

Please help us fight fake news – SHARE this article, and SUPPORT our work!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Is FIFA Giving Free 50GB Data For World Cup 2022?!

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Is FIFA offering 50 GB of free mobile data to stream World Cup 2022 matches with no interruptions?!

Take a look at the viral offers, and find out why they are just scams!

Claim : FIFA Is Giving Free 50GB Data For World Cup 2022!

People are sharing viral offers for 50 GB of free mobile data to stream World Cup 2022 matches without interruption. Here are some examples :

* FIFA is giving people around the world 50GB of data for free to watch the 2022 Cartel [Qatar] World Cup.*
* I Have Received Mine.*
* OPEN THIS*

* FIFA memberi orang di seluruh dunia 50GB data secara percuma untuk menonton Piala Dunia Kartel [Qatar] 2022.*
* Saya Telah Menerima Milik Saya.*
* BUKA INI*

FREE 50GB DATA PLAN FOR ALL NETWORKS

PERCUMA PELAN DATA 50GB UNTUK SEMUA RANGKAIAN

Truth : FIFA Is Not Giving 50GB Free Data For World Cup 2022!

This is yet another SCAM circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why you must avoid it!

Fact #1 : FIFA Is Not Offering Free Mobile Data

First, let me just say it out loud and clear – FIFA is not offering free mobile data anywhere in the world, just to watch World Cup 2022 matches.

FIFA makes its money through sale of television, marketing and licensing rights for World Cup 2022, so there is simply no reason for it to provide free mobile data to stream the matches.

Fact #2 : FIFA Would Never Give You Anything Free

Please do NOT be naive. No one is going to give you free data just to participate in a survey!

FIFA is a corporation whose business is to make money, not a charity to give you free data.

Fact #3 : They Do Not Use Official FIFA Domains

Genuine FIFA promotions would be announced on the official website at www.fifa.com, or their official social media accounts:

Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/fifaworldcup/
Twitter : https://twitter.com/fifacom
Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/fifaworldcup/

They would never run contests or promotions via dodgy domains like “subsidy.buzz”, “50g.kxoe1.xyz”, “50gb450.xyz”, or “zlqxt.top”.

Once you see those random domains, click delete. Or just ignore. DO NOT CLICK.

Fact #4 : They Are Advertisement Scams

After you click on the link, you will be redirected through a series of hidden advertisements before you arrive at the “offer page”.

The offer page will ask you a series of simple questions. Regardless of your answers, you will be congratulated and told you won the 50 GB free data plan for three months.

You will be asked to key in your mobile number to receive the free mobile data, but you will never receive anything. In one variant, you are even redirected to more advertisements, including a video advertisement.

Fact #5 : Brands Won’t Ask You To Forward The Contest

To get that free 50 GB data for three months, you are asked to share the “contest” with 12 friends or groups on WhatsApp.

That’s a clear sign of a scam. No brand will insist that you must share their contest or free offer with WhatsApp friends of groups.

Please do not click to forward their offer to your family and friends. They will not appreciate being scammed with your help!

Fact #6 : They Can Potentially Be Dangerous

Similar scams in the past have more dangerous variants, where you are asked to :
a) install an app, which is really a malware to keep sending you advertisements
b) enter your banking or credit card details, ostensibly to prove your identity or some other excuse

Needless to say – proceeding with this step will open you up to great risk of monetary loss. DO NOT PROCEED!

If you install their malware, you will start receiving promotions, some of which will ask you to send an SMS to receive expensive free gifts like laptops and smartphones.

If you proceed to send the confirmation SMS messages, you will be subscribed and billed for international premium SMS services.

This is VERY DANGEROUS. Never agree to download and register for any unknown app from a website.

Always download your apps from an official App Store like Google Play Store (for Android smartphones) and Apple App Store (for iPhones).

Fact #7 : They Are Just Another Example Of Online Scams

These are just more examples of online scams offering freebies.

Now that you know the facts, please WARN your family and friends!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Chip Tayag Crash Helicopter From Vaccine SADS?!

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Did WBTV pilot Chip Tayag crash his helicopter, just four hours after his 4th COVID-19 vaccination?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!

Claim : Chip Tayag Crashed Helicopter From Vaccine SADS!

On 23 November 2022, Michael Baxter (real name : Michael Tuffin) wrote an article claiming that WBTV pilot Chip Tayag crashed his helicopter and killed himself and meteorologist Jason Myers, after receiving his fourth COVID-19 vaccination just four hours earlier!

It is long and rambling, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

A recently boosted pilot for WBTV, a CNN affiliate, died Tuesday afternoon when the helicopter he was piloting spiraled out of control and crashed in a field near Interstate 77, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Passenger Jason Myers, a meteorologist, also perished in the wreck.

Although the National Transportation Safety Board has yet to release a preliminary accident report, two sources at WBTV told Real Raw News that pilot Chip Tayag had received a fourth Covid-19 vaccination four hours ahead of the fateful flight. They would only comment under condition of anonymity because, they said, WBTV legal issued a directive to all employees—avoid mentioning vaccines when discussing the crash, or don’t discuss it at all, on or off air.

Many employees at WBTV’s Charlotte Studio knew that Tayag was freshly vaxxed because he openly bragged about his vaccine status and beseeched coworkers to stay current on their vaccine regimens.

“Chip loved his vaccines,” one source said. “If he heard someone wasn’t up on their boosters, he’d say something. That morning he was at the studio to grab Jason. Chip was smiling and pointing to little band aid on his arm and telling folks he got another shot per CDC recommendations. He was fine then, looked healthy and was cracking jokes.

A second source affirmed the story, adding that Tayag was a skilled and competent pilot with 20 years of flight experience and thousands of hours of flight time on the station’s Robinson R44 chopper, the world’s best-selling general aviation helicopter since 1999. Built by Robinson Helicopter Company, the R44 has an excellent safety record; pilots say it’s reliable, dependable, quick, and easy to maintain.

RRN has been unable to get the maintenance records of WBTV’s R-44.

“We’ll wait and hear what NTSB has to say, but I’m having a hard time believing Chip lost control of the bird. He was too good for that. I hate to think the vaccine did him in; I got a couple of shots myself,” a source said.

Real Raw News is not ascribing WBTV’s fatalities to the clot shot, as substantive evidence is needed. However, there is an undeniable correlation between the vaccines and pilots falling ill or dropping dead midflight.

Real Raw News began reporting on these phenomena in September 2021, when USAF pilots started resigning en masse in protest of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s vaccination mandate, and after their vaccinated brethren began plunging from clear blue skies in what the DoD called “training accidents.” On October 15, 2021, the vaxxed pilot in the number 1 seat on an American Airlines A320 suffered a heart attack due to acute myocarditis. The copilot’s reflexes stopped the airframe from falling out of the sky.

Now, the regime’s HHS wants to reimpose mask and vaccination mandates, which could endanger the lives of even more naïve sheeple. Yesterday the regime used a prop to scare people into getting tested and boosted before the Thanksgiving travel rush. A facsimile of the late Dr. Anthony Fauci, also known as Doctor Death, appeared alongside administration Spokesdemon Karine Jean-Pierre in a replica of the White House Briefing Room before a press pool that has long abetted the regime’s charade. One reporter, though, flipped the script and challenged the fake Fauci on the origins of the virus. The body double or projection was apparently coached to answer only softball questions, prompting Jean-Pierre to erupt in a maniacal tirade and end the briefing prematurely.

Show less

Truth : Chip Tayag Did NOT Crash Helicopter From Vaccine SADS!

The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.

Everything that Real Raw News posts must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website

Real Raw News is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.

To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.

This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news that will go viral, and generate him money.

His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:

Fact #2 : No Legitimate Report Of COVID-19 Vaccination Before Flight

Only Real Raw News has published anything about Chip Tayag receiving his 4th COVID-19 vaccination just four hours before crashing his helicopter.

If it’s true that Chip Tayag got his 4th vaccine dose just before a flight that ended in a crash, it would have been picked up by at least one or two other blogs, if not the mainstream media.

Yet, no one else could corroborate the claim? How likely is it for a one-man operation like Real Raw News to have a scoop on this “story” and the many other stories that turned out to be false?

A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter

Fact #3 : Unknown If Chip Tayag Was Vaccinated

It is currently unknown if Chip Tayag was vaccinated against COVID-19, so it would be wrong for anyone to claim that he died from COVID-19 vaccine side effects, or had a 4th vaccine dose before he died!

For all we know – he may not even be vaccinated! The COVID-19 vaccine is not mandatory in the United States, despite what anti-vaccination activists may claim.

For example, anti-vaccination activists claimed that Kaden Clymer was almost crippled by a 6-foot long vaccine-induced blood clot, but the high school athlete was never vaccinated against COVID-19!

Fact #4 : WBTV Helicopter Took Off At 11:19 AM

The WBTV helicopter – a Robinson R44, crashed at around 12:20 PM local time, next to the Interstate 77 South highway.

But it took off 38 minutes earlier from the WBTV headquarters in uptown Charlotte at 11:19 AM, according to flight records from RadarBox.

In other words – it is really impossible for Chip Tayag to get his 4th dose of the COVID-19 vaccine four hours before that flight. Which vaccination centre opens at 7 AM?

Fact #5 : WBTV Helicopter Appeared To Be Malfunctioning

Despite suggestions that Chip Tayag may have died or collapsed from his 4th COVID-19 vaccination, eyewitness accounts stated that the helicopter appeared to be in trouble.

David Bristol, who is a trainee pilot, watched the WBTV Sky 3 helicopter that Chip Tayag was piloting, make slow circles for a while, when he noticed two odd things:

the sound Sky 3 made seemed to change
he then saw Sky 3 make two odd, hard turns to the left, before suddenly disappearing behind the trees.

Another eyewitness concurred that the helicopter appeared to be in trouble, and the pilot made an aggressive move to prevent crashing onto the highway.

I think that he absolutely knew that he was gonna have to put that down,” the man said. “He did his best to put it down … Whoever the pilot was, did their best to put that thing down where it wasn’t going to injure a lot of people, and in that respect, they did a fabulous job.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Johnny Jennings confirmed that the pilot was in control, and managed to avoid hitting the busy highway.

It seems the pilot that was operating the aircraft made some diversionary moves to avoid hitting traffic … To me it looks like a heroic incident where the pilot tried to avoid injuring anyone else and putting anyone else in danger,” Jennings said. “If that is truly the case then that pilot is a hero, in my eyes, to make sure the safety and security of those driving on the road was not in jeopardy.

From all eyewitness accounts, Chip Tayag did not just collapse after getting his fourth dose of the vaccine. He was in control, and managed to crash the helicopter away from a busy highway.

https://youtu.be/AQAG-bBfnuo

Fact #6 : USAF Pilots Did Not Resign Over Vaccine Mandate

It is ludicrous for Real Raw News to repeat their long-debunked claim that USAF pilots resigning over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin never sent any text message demanding that all Armed Forces members to immediately get the COVID-19 vaccine.

In any case, no F-22 pilot or B-52 crew member ever quit over the COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

Everything that Real Raw News posts should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.

Now that you know the facts, please SHARE THIS FACT CHECK out!

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp

Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

Recommended Reading

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Did US Military Hang Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel?!

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Did the US military just hang Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel at their Guantanamo Bay naval base?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!

Claim : US Military Hanged Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel To Death!

On 18 November 2022, Michael Baxter (real name : Michael Tuffin) wrote an article claiming that the US Navy just hanged Moderna CEO, Stéphane Bancel at its Guantanamo Bay naval base!

It is long and rambling, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

Moderna CEO and eugenicist Stéphane Bancel lost his life Friday afternoon after a hangman for the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate Generals Corp’s put a noose around his neck and flipped a switch that opened a swinging door beneath the pharmaceutical mogul’s feet.

Bancel’s death was a quiet affair. Vice Adm. Darse E. Crandall did not attend the execution, nor did the cadre of military of brass that had been present at earlier hangings. Instead, Bradley Earl, Command Master Chief, JAG Law Program Judge Advocate General’s Corps, oversaw the execution.

He, a few Marine guards, a Navy chaplain, and a physician were the only persons present to witness Bancel’s last moments. As expected, the perpetuator of Moderna’s clot shot protested his demise, saying that he, a French citizen, had been given immunity against prosecution by both French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. Food & Drug Commissioner Director Robert M. Califf, both of whom purportedly told Bancel he would be “held harmless” in matters involving vaccine injuries or deaths.

As Bancel was led at gunpoint to the gallows, he insisted that he, a man of science, had conclusively proven that Moderna’s death shot was safe and effective and hadn’t killed a single human since it was made publicly in late 2020. Truth is, Bancel was not a man of science; he held an M.B.A. from Harvard as well as master’s in engineering from an obscure French university. He had no medication credentials, yet asserted himself as a medical professional, and officials around the world touted his non-existent contributions to medical science, namely the Covid-19 vaccine. The release of the vaccine saw Bancel’s net worth skyrocket from $657m to $5.04bn. When Bancel spoke, health authorities listened. As Bancel profited, people died.

Unlike Vice Adm. Crandall, Master Chief Earl uttered no humorous invectives at Bancel. He simply asked him whether he wanted Last Rites—Bancel spat at the suggestion—and ordered the hangman to fulfill his duty.

Bancel was declared dead at 12:30 p.m. EST.

Show less

Truth : US Military Did NOT Hang Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel!

The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.

Everything that Real Raw News posts must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website

Real Raw News is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.

To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.

This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news that will go viral, and generate him money.

His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:

Fact #2 : No Legitimate Report Of Stephane Bancel’s Arrest

Only Real Raw News has published his fantastical account of US special forces arresting Stéphane Bancel outside a DC restaurant. That’s because Michael Baxter / Tiffin made it up.

Naturally, there is no news from any legitimate news outlet, or the US military, about Stephane Bancel’s arrest sentencing and hanging in Gitmo.

How likely is it for a one-man operation like Real Raw News to have a scoop on this “story”?

A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter

Fact #3 : Moderna Is A Public-Listed Company

Moderna is a public-listed company, and is traded on the Nasdaq as MRNA. Its shareholders would have to be informed if their company CEO was really arrested, and sentenced to death.

It is NOT POSSIBLE to keep quiet and pretend it didn’t happen. It’s not even legal to cover up such an event from the shareholders.

Fact #4 : Stéphane Bancel + Moderna Issued A Press Statement

On Thursday, November 16, 2022 – one day after Real Raw News claimed Stephane Bancel was sentenced to death, Moderna announced positive results for its two bivalent vaccines targeting the Omicron variant of COVID-19 – mRNA-1273.214, and mRNA-1273.222.

Instead of being incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, as Michael Baxter/Tiffin claimed, Stephane Bancel announced from Cambridge, Massachusetts that:

We are pleased to see that both of our bivalent booster vaccine candidates offer superior protection against Omicron BA.4/BA.5 variants compared to our original booster, which is encouraging given COVID-19 remains a leading cause of hospitalisation and death globally. In addition, the superior response against Omicron persisted for at least three months after the mRNA-1273.214 booster.

Only Michael Baxter / Tiffin can persist with such a stupid lie, and only his idiotic fans will continue to believe his fake stories.

https://youtu.be/AQAG-bBfnuo

Fact #5 : Only Enemy Combatants Are Detained At Gitmo

It is ludicrous for Real Raw News to claim that a US military tribunal in Gitmo (Guantanamo Bay) convicted Stephane Bancel, and sentenced him to death.

The Guantanamo Bay prison is only used to detain high-value enemy combatants. Stephane Bancel is not an enemy combatant by any military or legal definition, and would never be detained there.

If Stephane Bancel really committed a crime in the United States, he would have been brought to trial in an American court.

Fact #6 : US Military Tribunals Are Only For Foreign Combatants

It is also stupid for Real Raw News to claim that Bancel was trialed and convicted as an enemy combatant in a military tribunal, when he is a French civilian.

Military tribunals in the United States can only be conducted for members of enemy forces during wartime. The United States is not at war with France.

Needless to say – Stephane Bancel is also not in the French military, so even if he was arrested, there is no way he would be tried in a military tribunal.

Fact #7 : Death Sentences Take Years To Execute

It is also hilarious that Real Raw News readers actually believe the bullshit that someone sentenced to death would be executed just days later.

That may be possible in a country like North Korea, but certainly not in the United States

Death row inmates in the United States wait an average of 178 months – about 15 years after their sentencing, before they are executed.

In fact, none of the six Gitmo inmates charged with capital crime in the 9/11 attacks in 2001, and the attack on USS Cole in 2000, have actually been trialled to date, never mind convicted and sentenced to death.

Fact #8 : US Military Has Not Executed Anyone Since 1961

Even though the US military has killed many combatants intentionally, and civilians as collateral damage, they have not executed prisoners since 1961.

There are four US military inmates on death row, but none of them have been executed so far.

Fact #9 : US Military Cannot Execute Anyone By Hanging

The US military can no longer execute anyone by hanging. In fact, the last US military execution by hanging occurred in 1961 – their last execution ever.

If the US military has to execute anyone, only lethal injection is allowed. Death by hanging is no longer allowed.

Everything that Real Raw News posts should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.

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Fact Check : Is Semak.Info A Phishing Website?!

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Is the Semak.Info website used to check for GE15 voter information really a phishing website?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Semak.Info Is A Phishing Website!

After the official voter information website by the Malaysia Election Commission (SPR) went down a day before the GE15 election day,, people were advised to try an alternative voter information website called Semak.Info.

However, this warning then went viral later that day, claiming that the Semak.Info website is really a phishing website!

The app.semak.info is a phishing site to track your mobile number. Please be informed. Please do not forward. Thanks.

Truth : Semak.Info Is NOT A Phishing Website!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Semak.Info + App.Semak.Info Are Different Pages

First, let me point out that Semak.Info, and App.Semak.Info are two different pages on the same website. Think of them as two different rooms in the same office.

Semak.Info is the public-facing page, where users can check their GE15 voter information. Think of it as the information desk at your office.

App.Semak.Info, on the other hand, appears to be the website administrator’s page. Think of it as the back office.

That’s why it has a login page, just like how your back office would have a door with a lock – so that the public can’t just walk inside.

Fact #2 : Phishing Websites Masquerade As Genuine Websites

Phishing (pronounced as fishing) is a social engineering attack that attempts to obtain your login information, or personal information like credit card and bank account numbers, etc.

Hackers accomplish this by creating fake websites that look like the real website, to trick you into revealing sensitive information like your bank account login and password, or your security questions.

The Semak.Info page does not ask for any login or critical personal information, so it is not a phishing website.

The App.Semak.Info page is blank, with a simple login function. It does not pretend to be an SPR or banking website, and so it is also not a phishing website.

Fact #3 : Semak.Info Is Owned By DAP

When Semak.Info was first circulated, I too was concerned about this “unknown” website. But a quick check showed that the Democratic Action Party (DAP) was the one promoting its use on Facebook.

I did a little digging, and confirmed that the Semak.Info domain is owned by the Democratic Action Party. It also looked like they bought the domain, and developed the website for GE14, way back in 2017.

Fact #4 : Phone Number Used To Send WhatsApp

Some people asked me why this Semak.Info website would require a phone number, when the official SPR website does not require one to obtain voter information.

What they may not realise is that the DAP team added a WhatsApp messaging feature to their Semak.Info website.

Once you key in your phone number and identity card number, the website will give you your voter information. At the bottom though is a blue Whatsapp [sic] button.

If you click on that button, the website will attempt to send a WhatsApp message to that phone number you keyed in earlier, with key voting information.

It doesn’t automatically send the message. You are given a preview of the message, and you will need to tap on the “Continue to Chat” button to actually send that message to the phone number.

Fact #5 : You Can Use A Fake Phone Number

You may be worried that the DAP team could be harvesting your phone number, and tying it to your identification card number.

Frankly speaking, that kind of data is already easily available and sold (illegally) to marketers and scammers alike. So no one actually needs to “scam” you into keying your phone number.

If you are worried, you can use a fake phone number with this website. Just key in any 7-digit number, with a legitimate 3-digit telco prefix (like 011, 012, 017, 018, etc.), and you are good to go.

Please WATCH OUT about such FAKE NEWS on WhatsApp and social media. They are designed to suppress voter turnout in the 15th General Election.

Regardless of what you may read or see on social media, please take the time and effort to cast your vote. This is not only your right, it is your responsibility as a citizen of Malaysia.

Remember – democracy does not guarantee us a good government. Democracy only guarantees us the right to vote out a bad government!

Happy voting on 19 November 2022!

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel Arrested For Murder?!

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Was Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel just arrested by US Special Forces, and charged with multiple counts of vaccine-related murder?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the FACTS really are!

Claim : Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel Arrested For Murder!

On 7 November 2022, Michael Baxter (real name : Michael Tuffin) wrote an article claiming that the CEO of Moderna, Stéphane Bancel, was just arrested by US Special Forces and charged with multiple counts of murder related to its COVID-19 vaccine.

It is long and rambling, so please feel free to skip to the next section for the facts!

U.S. Special Forces on October 30 arrested Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel on charges of murder as the pharmaceutical mogul and eugenicist exited a posh restaurant on the outskirts of D.C., where he had planned a business dinner with CDC Director Rochelle Walensky—but she never showed up. Sources in General David H. Berger’s office told Real Raw News that White Hats had been monitoring the detestable duo’s phone calls for months; Bancel and Walensky had spoken often, at least weekly, with Bancel asking her to board a flight to Paris, his home city, to discuss in person the “many lucrative benefits” of merging Covid-19 and Influenza vaccinations into a single inoculation.

But a fearful Walensky, who spoke in tremulous whispers, expressed trepidations about leaving the Beltway. She told Bancel on an Oct 17 call that she “felt safe” in D.C. and that “Covid deniers” were plotting her downfall. She admitted to him that she hadn’t even visited the CDC’s Atlanta headquarters in months, for fear of being “illegally apprehended” or killed. She agreed, though, that further discussion on the hybrid vaccine ought to be in person to mitigate risk of someone eavesdropping on phone calls or digital transmissions. Donald J. Trump, she said, had spies everywhere.

After much back and forth, Bancel on October 25 agreed to fly from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris to Dulles International Airport in Virginia. He would arrive in the U.S. aboard Air France flight AFR26 at approximately 7:00 pm, on October 29, he said to Walensky, adding that he would spend the night at a hotel before meeting her at Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Mclean, Virginia, the following evening. His last message to Walensky before boarding the flight: “I know, Rochelle, you are also talking to [Pfizer CEO] Bourla. It would be in both our interests to reach a deal of exclusivity.”

Unbeknownst to Bancel, U.S. Special Forces had eyes on him the moment he deplaned. According to sources, Marine Corps General David H. Berger and 5^th Special Forces Group Commander Col. Brent Linemen considered grabbing Bancel at the hotel and picking up Walensky at the restaurant the next evening. They ultimately rejected that idea, believing that Walensky might get tipped off to Bancel’s sudden disappearance. “It’s better to kill two birds with one stone,” Gen. Berger reportedly said.

Special Forces dressed in civvies and driving civilian vehicles tailed Bancel and his chauffer from the airport to the Watermark Hotel in Tysons, Virginia, where he used fake credentials to check in under an assumed name–Émile Blaise. His chauffer, later identified as Ralph Adleman, an employee of Virginia Limousine Service of Richmond, stayed at the same hotel in a different suite, paid for by Bancel.

Neither Bancel nor Adleman left their rooms until 6:30 pm the next day. They then drove a stretch limousine from the hotel to the restaurant, a 15-minute drive. Adleman stayed with the limo in the parking lot as Bancel entered the restaurant and was seated at a corner table—but his guest of honor, Rochelle Walensky, was not present. Meanwhile, Special Forces across the street watched Bancel with binoculars and listened to him with parabolic microphones as he ate a plate of Hors D’oeuvres and imbibed a few cocktails. Bancel mumbled under his breath, “Where are you? Why aren’t you here?” and tried to reach someone, ostensibly Walensky, on his cellphone.

Thirty minutes later Bancel paid his tab and left the restaurant, hustling across the parking lot to the limo. Special Forces shadowed the limousine as it peeled out of the parking lot and began speeding toward an unknown location. It got less than a mile when Special Forces cut it off, blockading it between their own SUVs. It took less than two minutes for Special Forces to pull Bancel from the limo and place him under arrest, while the chauffer was set free with a dire warning to not discuss under any circumstances what had just happened. Special Forces took Bancel to a processing center for interrogation, sources told RRN.

“We don’t know why Walensky didn’t show. We wanted both. But for now, we’ll take Bancel. We can’t charge him with treason because he’s not a U.S. citizen. But we can charge him on many counts of murder based on the number of people his vaccine has killed. Maybe Walensky caught wind of our operation—we don’t know. We’ll get her eventually, just like we got Fauci. They can run but they can’t hide forever. Bancel is now detained as an enemy combatant, and he will face a military tribunal,” our source said.

Show less

Truth : Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel Was NOT Arrested!

The truth is – this is just another FAKE STORY created by Real Raw News, just to generate page views and money.

Everything that Real Raw News posts must be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

Fact #1 : Real Raw News Is A Fake News Website

Real Raw News is a FAKE NEWS website that capitalises on making shocking but fake stories to generate page views and money.

To protect himself from legal repercussions, the owner and writer, Michael Baxter (real name – Michael Tuffin), claims that his articles are “humour, parody, and satire“.

This disclaimer, which is not clearly mentioned in his articles, lets him keep creating fake news that will go viral, and generate him money.

His articles have been regularly debunked as fake news, so you should NEVER share anything from his website. Here are some of his fake stories that I personally debunked earlier:

Fact #2 : No Legitimate Report Of Stephane Bancel’s Arrest

Only Real Raw News has published this fantastical account of US special forces arresting Stéphane Bancel outside a DC restaurant.

There is no remotely similar report from any legitimate news outlet, nor an official statement by the government.

How likely is it for a one-man operation like Real Raw News to have a scoop on this “story”?

A March 2018 screenshot of Michael Tuffin, who goes by the pseudonym Michael Baxter

Fact #3 : Moderna Is A Public-Listed Company

Moderna is a public-listed company, and is traded on the Nasdaq as MRNA. Its shareholders would have to be informed if their company CEO was really arrested.

It is NOT POSSIBLE to keep quiet and pretend it didn’t happen. It’s not even legal to cover up such an event from the shareholders.

Fact #4 : Stéphane Bancel + Moderna Issued A Press Statement

On Tuesday, November 1, 2022, Moderna issued an updated 2022 COVID-19 vaccine sales forecast. In that statement, its CEO Stéphane Bancel said:.

Along with production delays, Moderna’s third quarter was marred with manufacturing complexities due to shifting from 10-dose vials to 5-dose vials and the roll out of new bivalent vaccines that target both the original coronavirus and Omicron variants. We are working through a lot of those issues as we speak.

That would not be possible if Stéphane Bancel was really arrested by US Special Forces less than 2 days earlier!

https://youtu.be/AQAG-bBfnuo

Fact #5 : US Military Cannot Arrest Civilians Within The United States

It is ludicrous for Real Raw News to claim that US special forces arrested Stephane Bancel.

The Posse Comitatus Act (18 U.S.C. § 1385) prohibits “the wilful use of any part of the Army or Air Force to execute the law unless expressly authorised by the Constitution or an act of Congress“.

If the US government wanted to arrest Stephane Bancel, they would have sent the police with a warrant… not US special forces.

Fact #6 : France Has Extradition Treaty With The United States

France and the United States have an extradition treaty since 1996.

That means that the United States can order the arrest of Stephane Bancel even if he is residing in Paris. There is no need to wait for him to return to the United States.

Fact #7 : Stéphane Bancel Lives In Boston, Not Paris

It is also ludicrous for Real Raw News to claim that US Special Forces had to wait for Stephane Bancel to fly from Paris into US territory to arrest him, because he actually lives in the city of Boston, Massachusetts!

If the US government wanted to arrest Stephane Bancel, they can do it at any time. It’s not like no one knows where he lives in Boston.

On 30 September 2021, a group of scientists, doctors and public health advocates actually protested in front of his home on Chestnut Street in Beacon Hill.

They brought a 12-foot-tall structure of artificial human bones, and called for Moderna to share its vaccine knowledge with the US government and other countries.

Fact #8 : US Military Tribunals Are Only For Foreign Combatants

It is also stupid for Real Raw News to claim that Bancel would be charged as an enemy combatant in a military tribunal, when he is a French civilian.

Military tribunals in the United States can only be conducted for members of enemy forces during wartime. The United States is not at war with France.

Needless to say – Stephane Bancel is also not in the French military, so even if he was arrested, there is no way he would be tried in a military tribunal.

Fact #9 : Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Under FDA Regulatory Oversight

The Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was confirmed to be safe and effective, after it successfully concluded its clinical trials with an efficacy of 94.5% against symptomatic COVID-19 infection, in a large study involving over 30,000 participants.

The VRBPAC committee vetted and discussed the study findings on 17 December 2020, and recommended that the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine receive its Emergency Use Authorisation, which the FDA granted on 18 December 2020.

Like ALL other vaccines, the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was under FDA regulatory oversight. If Moderna lied about their results, the FDA would not have continued to re-issue or amend its EUA and full approval time and time again.

Information	Date
Letter of Authorization (Reissued)	October 12, 2022
Letter Granting EUA Amendment	December 9, 2021
Letter of Authorization (Reissued)	November 19, 2021
Memorandum to the File	October 20, 2021
Decision Memorandum	October 20, 2021
Advisory Committee Meeting Information	October 14, 2021
Letter Granting EUA Amendment	August 30, 2021
Decision Memorandum	August 12, 2021
Letter Granting EUA Amendment	June 25, 2021
Letter Granting EUA Amendment	April 1, 2021
FDA Decision Memorandum	December 18, 2020
Advisory Committee Meeting Information	December 17, 2020

Everything that Real Raw News posts should be regarded as FAKE NEWS.

Now that you know the facts, please SHARE THIS FACT CHECK out!

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He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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GE15 : Must You Print Details + Vote Within 2 Hours?!

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Must you print your voting details, and only vote within 2 hours, at the upcoming GE15 Malaysia general election?!

Take a look at the viral claims, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : You Must Print Details + Vote Within 2 Hours On GE15!

People are sharing screenshots of GE15 voting details, warning that Malaysian voters must print them out, and vote within 2 hours!

New rules from SPR to make it did to vote this GE15. You need to print out your details from SPR website. You are only allowed to vote 8am to 10am for morning n 2pm to 4pm. Even though it is stated voting time is 10 hours, the guards will not allow people in from 10am to 1pm n voting centers will close 4pm sharp. This is a cheating method for UMNO to win. Make sure you have a given number in your details. Those without number will not be allowed in. Plus no handphone allowed. Please make police reports. This is the biggest scam from SPR.

UMNO wants to win big in Putrajaya, KL n Selangor hence the obstacles so that the extra boxes hidden will be bought out .

New rules fr SPR to make it difficult to vote.

Truth : You Don’t Need To Print Details / Vote Within 2 Hours On GE15!

These are just more examples of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : These Are Not New SPR Rules

The Malaysian Parliament and Malaysia Election Commission (SPR) made a few changes since the last election:

voting age has been reduced from 21 to 18
automatic voter registration means all Malaysians age 18 and above are eligible to vote
postal voting for all overseas Malaysians, instead of the police and military

Other than those few changes, there have been no changes to how the general election works in Malaysia.

Fact #2 : You Are Not Required To Print Anything

The SPR website allows you to check your voting details, so you know where to go on election day – 19 November 2022.

It also gives you other useful information, like your Saluran (voting channel) and the Bilangan (Count – basically, your voting number).

However, there is NO REQUIREMENT to print anything. You will be allowed in to vote, even if you do not print your voting details. Just make sure you bring your MyKad!

Fact #3 : You Are Not Required To Note Your Saluran / Bilangan

At the bottom of this section, the SPR asks everyone to note their Saluran and Bilangan numbers, and bring them to the voting centre (with my translation in English).

Sila catat nombor Saluran serta nombor Bilangan dan bawa ke Pusat Mengundi

Please note your Channel and Count numbers, and bring them to the Voting Centre

However, you will NOT be turned away if you did not print anything, or even bother to remember your Channel and Count numbers.

Noting the Channel and Count numbers will simply help election officials quickly locate you on the voting list, speeding up the process.

Help them speed up the process – note down and tell them your Saluran (Channel) and Bilangan (Count) numbers, so more voters can quickly vote on election day!

Fact #4 : Voting Hours Are Fixed From 8 AM to 6 PM

The fake news falsely claimed that people are only allowed to vote from 8 AM to 10 AM in the morning, and from 2 PM to 4 PM in the afternoon.

The voting hours for the GE15 general election in Malaysia are fixed from 8 AM until 6 PM, on 19 November 2022.

Fact #5 : Recommended Voting Hours Are A Suggestion, Not Rule

People may be confused by the SPR listing (in bold red colour, no less!) the recommended voting time (with my translation in English).

Masa Keluar Mengundi Yang Digalakkan

Recommended Time To Vote

The recommended 2-hour period varies from person to person, and is merely a suggestion, not a rule. You do NOT have to follow the recommended voting hours.

The recommended voting time appears to be SPR’s attempt to minimise crowding by spacing voters out into 2 hour slots. It is up to you to follow their recommendation, or come whenever it’s convenient.

However, to avoid missing out on the opportunity to vote on GE15, please come at least an hour or two before the 6 PM deadline!

Fact #6 : You Are Allowed To Bring Your Phone

Malaysians love to post selfies or photos showing that they have done their duty, and voted in the general election.

Even though former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad (belatedly) asked the SPR to ban people from bringing their phones to the polling centre, there is no such phone ban.

You are still allowed to bring your phone to the polling centre on the GE15 election day.

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Warning : Postal Voting Registration Fake News!

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Watch out for the postal voting registration fake news that is circulating on WhatsApp, and please warn your family and friends about it!

Claim : Postal Voting Registration Is Pointless After Friday Noon!

This message has gone viral on WhatsApp, claiming that it’s pointless for overseas Malaysians to register for postal voting after Friday noon, on October 21.

You know I am not the kind who will ask you to forward messages. But this one PLEASE FORWARD.

The “closing date” to register for PRU15 overseas postal voting is Friday, 21 October before noon. Malaysian time!

The registration for an akaun pengguna with SPR at https://myspr.spr.gov.my/login must happen in the next few hours or an overseas Malaysian will not be able to apply for undi pos on time. It’s a two-prong process that takes days!

Stop telling people that the closing date is this Sunday, 23 October. Without an akaun pengguna, there is no point.

Truth : Postal Voting Registration Continues Until October 23!

The viral message is FAKE NEWS based on a misunderstanding of an existing notice whenever someone registers for a MySPR account in the website of the Malaysia Election Commission (SPR).

Here is what you need to know…

Fact #1 : Last Date For Postal Voting Registration Is October 23

The Malaysia Election Commission (SPR) announced that early voting would begin on November 15, followed by voting for General Elections on November 19, 2022.

The SPR also announced that the last day for postal voters to register to vote by mail is Sunday, October 23, 2022.

Fact #2 : MySPR Registration Takes Time To Process

Before overseas Malaysians can register for postal voting, they must first register for a MySPR account.

When you register for your MySPR account, you will see this warning about how long it takes them to process and approve each application (with my English translation) :

Sila ambil perhatian perkara berikut

Permohonan yang dihantar pada jam 8.00 pagi hingga 12.00 tengah har waktu bekerja akan diproses pada hari yang sama sebelum jam 5.30 petang.
Permohonan yang dihantar selepas jam 12.00 tengah har waktu bekerja akan diproses pada hari bekerja berikutnya sebelum jam 5.30 petang
Permohonan yang dihantar pada Sabtu, Ahad atau Hari Kelepasan Am akan diproses pada hari bekerja berikutnya sebelum jam 5.30 petang

Please take note

Applications sent between 8.00 am and 12.00 noon during working hours will be processed on the same day before 5.30 pm.
Applications sent after 12.00 noon working hours will be processed on the following working day before 5.30 pm
Applications sent on Saturday, Sunday or Public Holidays will be processed on the next working day before 5.30 pm

In normal times, the fake news post would be correct – overseas Malaysians have to apply for their MySPR account before 12 PM on Friday, October 21, or be automatically disqualified to register as postal voters.

Fact #3 : SPR Is Working Through Weekend

However, these are not normal times. The 15th General Elections (PRU15) in Malaysia has been called, and so, the SPR is working through the weekend to process all MySPR account registrations, as well as applications for postal voting.

This, I confirmed with the Global Bersih team, which received assurance from SPR that its staff are working through the weekend, and the last two days available for overseas Malaysians to register for postal voting.

SPR will accept all MySPR account applications and register postal voters until 11:59 PM on Sunday, October 23, 2022!

We’re in touch with @sprgovmy. They’ve assured us that they will be working this weekend. This is not ordinary times.

⏰ Deadline for postal registration is Sunday, 23 Oct, 11.59 pm (GMT+8)

Fact #4 : Global Bersih Called This Fake News!

Global Bersih – the team spearheading the overseas voter campaign, has publicly labelled this viral post as “misinformation”.

‼️ There is misinformation going around that registration for #PostalVoting has closed.

We clarify that @sprgovmy
will accept applications until Sunday, 11.59 pm (GMT+8).

Note that you need to open your MySPR account AND have it approved first to apply for postal voting.

Fact #5 : MySPR Registration Delay Has Long Existed

Just to be clear – the MySPR account registration delay has long existed. It was not introduced for the 15th General Elections (PRU15).

But because time is short for overseas Malaysians to register for postal voting, the SPR has done away with the usual processing delay for new MySPR registrations.

So please help us spread the word, and encourage overseas Malaysians to sign up as postal voters for GE15!

Please also share with them my step-by-step guide on how to register for their MySPR account, and register as postal voters.

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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SPR Will Register Postal Voters Until October 23!

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The Malaysia Election Commission (SPR) has confirmed that they will work through the weekend, and will register all postal voters until October 23!

Please share this news out, and ask overseas Malaysians to continue register as postal voters!

Claim : SPR Will Not Register Postal Voters During Weekends / Holidays

The Malaysia Election Commission (SPR) earlier announced that early voting would begin on November 15, followed by voting for General Elections on November 19, 2022.

The SPR also announced that the last day for postal voters to register to vote by mail is Sunday, October 23, 2022.

However, overseas Malaysians trying to register to be postal voters were confronted with this notice when trying to register for their MySPR account (with my English translation) :

Sila ambil perhatian perkara berikut

Permohonan yang dihantar pada jam 8.00 pagi hingga 12.00 tengah har waktu bekerja akan diproses pada hari yang sama sebelum jam 5.30 petang.
Permohonan yang dihantar selepas jam 12.00 tengah har waktu bekerja akan diproses pada hari bekerja berikutnya sebelum jam 5.30 petang
Permohonan yang dihantar pada Sabtu, Ahad atau Hari Kelepasan Am akan diproses pada hari bekerja berikutnya sebelum jam 5.30 petang

Please take note

Applications sent between 8.00 am and 12.00 noon during working hours will be processed on the same day before 5.30 pm.
Applications sent after 12.00 noon working hours will be processed on the following working day before 5.30 pm
Applications sent on Saturday, Sunday or Public Holidays will be processed on the next working day before 5.30 pm

In other words – overseas Malaysians have to apply for their MySPR account before 12 PM on Friday, October 21, or be automatically disqualified to register as postal voters.

Confirmed : SPR Will Register Postal Voters Until October 23!

I contacted the Bersih team regarding this issue, and I have great news – SPR will continue to process applications through the weekend, as these are not ordinary times.

Now that the 15th General Elections have been called, the SPR is working through the weekend and holidays to process MySPR applications and register postal voters.

SPR will accept all MySPR account applications and register postal voters until 11:59 PM on Sunday, October 23, 2022!

We’re in touch with @sprgovmy. They’ve assured us that they will be working this weekend. This is not ordinary times.

⏰ Deadline for postal registration is Sunday, 23 Oct, 11.59 pm (GMT+8)

So please help us spread the word, and encourage overseas Malaysians to sign up as postal voters for GE15!

Please also share with them my step-by-step guide on how to register for their MySPR account, and register as postal voters.

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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did BTS RM Beat Henry Cavill As World’s Most Handsome Man?!

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Did RM (Kim Nam-joon) of the Korean boy band BTS beat Henry Cavill as the World’s Most Handsome Man?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : BTS RM Beat Henry Cavill As Most Handsome Man!

The Internet just went berserk with the news that Kim Nam-joon beat Henry Cavill as the World’s Most Handsome Man in the TC Candler survey.

Many websites went viral with articles claiming that the BTS band leader (also known as RM) dethroned Henry Cavill for the title. Here is just two examples :

BTS Member Kim Namjoon is now the most handsome man in the world by defeating Henry Cavill, says a survey by TC Candler.

Henry Cavill, was considered the most handsome man in the world. However, BTS leader has taken away the title from him.

The British actor Henry Cavill is undoubtedly the most popular actor presently. He is the number 1 Superman, ran with Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, is Geralt in The Witcher, and is a contender for the next James Bond.

However, he is still one place behind in the list of the most handsome men in the world. Although he dominated the list for quite a long time, according to netizens Superman doesn’t hold a candle to BTS leader, RM!

According to a recent survey that TC Candler conducted for the most handsome man alive, Kim Namjoon also known as RM raced ahead of him to take the number one spot. Although this is the first time for the Korean pop star, Cavill has been a permanent feature on the list.

BTS RM Did Not Beat Henry Cavill As Most Handsome Man… Yet

The truth is – this is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created to generate hype for the page views and ad money, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : Henry Cavill Was Never Voted World’s Most Handsome Man

As handsome as Witcher star Henry Cavill is, he was never voted World’s Most Handsome Man in any TC Candler annual lists.

In fact, both Henry Cavill and RM (Kim Nam-joon) from BTS were never even in the Top 5 of any TC Candler annual list ever!

So the claim that RM from BTS beat Henry Cavill for the top spot is already wrong.

Fact #2 : Voting Only Takes Place In December

TC Candler only opens voting for the 100 Most Beautiful Faces and 100 Most Handsome Faces in December of every year.

In other words, voting has not even occurred for the 2022 edition of either list, so any claim that RM (Kim Nam-joon) from BTS or Henry Cavill winning the 2022 list is false.

Fact #3 : TC Candler Refuted The Claim

TC Candler issued a statement on August 23, 2022, refuting the claim that Kim Nam-joon beat Henry Cavill as the World’s Most Handsome Man in their survey.

Statement:

For those who haver been asking and spreading the meme… No, we have not released the 2022 Lists yet. We only ever release the Top 100 lists in late December.

As much as we like both RM (Kim Nam-joon) and Henry Cavill, neither of them has ever been crowned the winner or even been in the Top 5.

Nothing has been decided in 2022 and nothing will be until we hold a vote in December.

If you see the meme or the news story floating around social media, please ignore and don’t share.

Thank you — TC Candler

Fact #4 : This Is Just Another Example Of Celebrity Fake News

This is yet another example of fake news created by celebrity blogs to drive traffic and increase page views for ad money.

Here are examples of other celebrity fake news that we debunked earlier:

Please be wary when you read viral celebrity news like this. Be sure to check if they are real before sharing!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Was Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Just Arrested?!

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Did New York police just arrest Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz for multiple counts of fraud?!

Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!

Claim : Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Was Just Arrested!

Vancouver Times just posted an article, claiming that New York police just arrested Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz for multiple counts of fraud!

The CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, has been arrested and charged with multiple counts of fraud. He was arrested at his home in New York and is in custody awaiting a bail hearing.

Schultz is an American businessman and author, currently sitting as the chief executive officer (CEO) of Starbucks. A spokesperson for the company said that Schultz plans on resigning through his lawyers as soon as possible.

Starbucks is currently in hot water for banning cash payments at its stores in the UK, with plans to ban cash internationally. As a result, the term ‘boycott Starbucks’ continues to trend on social media.

It is unclear what the charges relate to, but a source close to the CEO indicated it may be linked to allegations of Schultz stealing money from his employees.

The mainstream media and big tech want to hide the truth. Beat them at their own game by sharing this article!

Truth : Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz Was Not Arrested!

This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS created by Vancouver Times to generate page views and money from gullible people.

Fact #1 : Vancouver Times Is A Fake News Website

Vancouver Times is a “content aggregator” (copy and paste) website that is known for creating fake news to generate more page views and money.

To look legitimate, they copy and paste news from legitimate news organisations. To drive traffic, they create fake news, sometimes masked as “satire”.

To give themselves a veneer of deniability, they label themselves as a “satire website” in their About Us section.

Vancouver Times is the most trusted source for satire on the West Coast. We write satirical stories about issues that affect conservatives.

Here are some of their fake news that we debunked :

Fact #2 : Howard Schultz Was Not Arrested

Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz was not arrested by the police for fraud. He remains a free man.

Not only was there no police report on his arrest, there was zero media coverage, which is impossible because his arrest would have been worldwide news.

Starbucks is also a public-listed company (SBUX) on the Nasdaq, which means it is legally required to announce the arrest of its CEO publicly and to investors. There was no such announcement.

Fact #3 : Howard Schultz Is A Billionaire

Howard Schultz is a billionaire with a net worth of some 4 billion US dollars. He earned almost a quarter of that – 940 million dollars – during the COVID-19 pandemic.

So Schultz certainly does not need to rob his employees. He’s earning about $640,000 every day – more than what most of his store employees will earn in a lifetime!

Even if you believe Jason Pires from Vancouver Times, how exactly do you think Schultz steals from his employees? By sneaking a few dollars from the till at every store?

Fact #4 : There Is No Such Thing As A Publication Ban

Vancouver Times likes to use the “media blackout” claim, to explain why you can’t find any reputable media outlet reporting on Howard Schultz’s arrest.

That’s utter and complete bullshit. No one – not a judge, not even the US government – can control the worldwide media, or prevent anyone from writing about such a momentous arrest.

You can also be sure that even if the mainstream media refused to run the story, it would have been reported by many other websites and bloggers.

Yet, not a single blogger or online website published this incredible story? That’s because IT NEVER HAPPENED…

Fact #5 : Mainstream Media + Big Tech Would Have Loved The Hype

Vancouver Times is gaslighting you about how mainstream media and Big Tech want to hide the “truth” about the arrest of Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.

They would all loved such shocking news, because it would have driven tons of traffic and engagement to their websites / platforms.

In fact, that was precisely why Vancouver Times created the fake story – to drive traffic, for the ad money.

Everything that Vancouver Times publishes should be regarded as FAKE NEWS, until proven otherwise.

Please help us fight fake news websites like Vancouver Times – SHARE this fact check out, and SUPPORT our work!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Did Kelantan Palace Ban Malaysia Chief Justice + Husband?!

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Did the Kelantan palace ban Malaysia Chief Justice Tengku Maimun and her husband after she ruled to uphold the guilty verdict on former Prime Minister Najib Razak?

Find out what’s going on, and what the facts really are!

Claim : Kelantan Palace Banned Malaysia Chief Justice + Her Husband!

An online portal went viral after claiming that Malaysia Chief Justice Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat and her husband are both banned from the Kelantan Palace, after she (and four other justices) ruled to uphold the guilty verdict on former Prime Minister Najib Razak.

The online portal also said that even though Chief Justice Tengku Maimun hailed from Kelantan, the Sultan of Kelantan Muhammad V refuses to meet with her or her husband, insinuating that he is displeased with her verdict.

That online portal also claimed that two other persons were similarly blacklisted from the Kelantan Palace, including a politician who is now a government minister.

Truth : Kelantan Palace Did Not Ban Malaysia Chief Justice + Her Husband!

This appears to be FAKE NEWS created by that online portal to increase page views by generating controversy, and here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Is No Such Ban, Officially

We do not know how the Sultan of Kelantan feels about former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s guilty verdict being upheld (again).

However, the Kelantan Palace has never announced such a ban, so officially, there is no such ban.

Fact #2 : Kelantan Palace Refuted The Claim As False

On 26 August 2022, the Kelantan Royal Household Comptroller, Datuk Nik Mohd Shafriman Nik Hassan issued an official statement refuting the claim as false.

Here is their official statement in Bahasa Melayu, and our translation in English :

26 Ogos 2022 – Istana Kelantan dengan tegas menyangkal dakwaan sebuah portal yang mengatakan bahawa Ketua Hakim Negara, Yang Amat Arif Tun Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat dan suami dilarang ke Istana Kelantan. Kenyataan ini adalah sama sekali tidak benar dan tidak berasas. Tidak pernah ada larangan seperti yang didakwa dikeluarkan oleh Istana Kelantan.

Istana Kelantan memandang serius tohmahan berupa fitnah seperti ini dan menyarankan agar pengamal media merujuk kepada Istana terlebih dahulu mengenai kesahihan apa-apa berita sebelum disiarkan bag mengelak dari mengelirukan masyarakat.

Pihak Istana aka mempertimbangkan untuk mengambil tindakan undang-undang terhadap portal berkenaan sekiranya fitnah tidak berasas ini berlarutan.

26 August 2022 – The Kelantan Palace firmly refutes the claim of a portal that claimed that the Chief Justice, The Most Learned Tun Tengku Maimun binti Tuan Mat and her husband are banned from the Kelantan Palace. This statement is completely untrue and baseless. No such ban as allegedly has been issued by the Kelantan Palace.

The Kelantan Palace takes this kind of slanderous accusation seriously and urges media practitioners to refer to the Palace beforehand on the veracity of any news before publishing to avoid causing public confusion.

The Palace will consider taking legal action against the portal if this baseless slander continues.

Fact #3 : Entry To Kelantan Palace By Invitation Only

The Kelantan Palace is both a royal institution and a private residence, not a public venue. Therefore, there is really no need to institute a ban.

Technically, everyone is “banned” from entering the Kelantan Palace, except for those who are invited in, or allowed to enter on official business.

Even though Chief Justice Tengku Maimun is from Kelantan, she has no reason to go to the Kelantan Palace unless she receives an invitation by the Sultan of Kelantan.

Just like how you only invite people you want to your own home, the Kelantan Palace does not need to ban anyone. It only needs to invite people it wants.

Fact #4 : This Is Just Fake News To Drive Traffic

This is yet another example of fake news created by online blogs and portals to drive traffic and increase page views for ad money.

Here are examples of other “viral” fake news that we debunked earlier:

Please be wary when you read viral celebrity news like this. Be sure to check if they are real before sharing!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Indonesia Bans Steam, PayPal, Epic Games + More!

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Indonesia just banned a number of major websites including Steam, Epic Games, PayPal and Battle.net!

Here is what you need to know!

Indonesia Banned Steam, PayPal, Epic Games + More!

On 30 July 2022, Indonesians woke up to the shocking discovery that a number of gaming platforms like Steam, Epic Games, Origin, Ubisoft and Battle.net are now banned!

Not only were gaming platforms banned, Indonesia also banned major websites and digital services like PayPal and Waze.

Indonesian netizens have started sharing tips on how to bypass this sudden ban – by using VPN, or changing their DNS servers, to bypass what appears to be an IP block.

Why Indonesia Banned Steam, PayPal, Epic Games, Etc!

There was no official announcement by the Indonesian government, but it is likely that Indonesia banned Steam, PayPal, Epic Games and a bunch of other websites and digital platforms because they failed to register as an Electronics System Provider / Penyelenggara Sistem Elektronik (PSE).

On November 24, 2020, the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (Kominfo) imposed a new regulation calling for all local and international digital services to register with them for cybersecurity and user protection purposes.

Failure to comply with that regulation would subject the digital service to being banned / blocked in Indonesia.

Here is a partial list of major websites, platforms and digital services registered with the Indonesian government, and those that have not been registered, or are known to be blocked.

Those on the unregistered list are likely to be blocked, if not already blocked. Interestingly, Telegram is listed as registered, but is currently inaccessible (blocked) in Indonesia.

Registered	Unregistered	Blocked
LINE WhatsApp TikTok Google Google Classroom Google Drive Gmail Google Cloud YouTube Amazon AWS Facebook Telegram Twitter Instagram Discord Zoom Gojek Spotify Shopee Lazada Traveloka Netflix Disney+ Hotstar Zenius Mobile Legends LinkedIn Roblox Vidio	FB Messenger Wikipedia Deezer Waze Brainly Notion Pinterest SoundCloud PayPal EA Nintendo Ubisoft Mangaku MediaFire GitHub GitLab Bitbucket CloudFlare MS Azure Amazon Reddit DuckDuckGo Twitch IMDb MS Office Yahoo IMDb Patreon	Epic Games Steam Uplay Battle.net Origin

On July 15 – just 2 weeks earlier – Kominfo warned that digital service providers will be banned in Indonesia on July 21, 2022 if they refused to register.

The deadline for all PSE registration – both domestic and foreign – was set at July 20, 2022. After that, Kominfo would start banning unregistered apps and services.

At that time, Kominfo reported that many major brands and companies have yet to register with them, like Google (which owns YouTube, Google Drive, Gmail, etc.), Meta (which owns WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook), Twitter, Netflix, PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends.

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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CIMB Online Services Up Again, After Going Down For Hours!

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CIMB online and mobile banking services are finally up after failing for most of the day! Here is what you need to know!

CIMB Online + Mobile Services Down Most Of The Day!

At around 10 AM on Friday, July 1, 2022, CIMB started experiencing issues with their online and mobile banking services.

Some users could not load the CIMB Clicks website completely, while many users complained that they could log in, but were unable to complete any online transactions, like :

Interbank GIRO (IBG)
Instant transfers
DuitNow transfers

Instead, they received error messages like :

Sorry, service is temporarily unavailable. We apologise for the inconvenience caused. [CLK00495]

We’ve encountered an unexpected error. Please try again later. [CLK00507]

[/su_note]

Please enter valid Email or Mobile Number. [CLK00494]

CIMB Online Services Up Again, After Going Down For Hours!

This system-wide issue is not only affecting their online banking portals – CIMB Clicks and CIMB BizChannel, but also their Clicks mobile app.

At 4:37 PM, CIMB announced that Interbank GIRO (IBG) transfers were back online, but not DuitNow transfers.

Please be informed that DuitNow To Account (Instant Transfer) is unavailable at the moment. As an alternative, you may perform transaction by using Normal Transfer (IBG). Thank you.

At 5:22 PM, CIMB announced that they resolved their DuitNow services, although many of their BizChannel customers complained that they are still not able to view their statements, or make online transfers.

Their social media team is asking BizChannel users still experiencing problems to contact the BizChannel team at 1300 888 828 or +603 2297 3000 for further assistance.

CIMB ATM and counter services were not affected by this issue, so you can still head over to a nearby CIMB ATM if you need to withdraw money.

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Where + How To Renew Driving Licence In Malaysia!

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Find out where and how you to renew your driving licence in Malaysia!

Why You Need To Renew Your Driving Licence ASAP

The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has discovered that hundreds of thousands of people are driving with expired licences.

They recently reminded motorists that the moratorium on expired driving licences will end on 30 June 2022.

Right now, those that JPJ caught were “only” been slapped with a fine. But after 30 June 2022, they will be issued with a summon and their licences may be revoked.

These are the four categories of expired licences that may be revoked, if they are not renewed in time :

Learner’s Driving Licence (LDL) : Up to 2 years
Probational Driving Licence (PDL) : More than 1 year
Competent Driving Licence (CDL) : More than 3 years
Public Service Vehicle / Goods Driving Licence (PSV / GDL) : More than 3 years

If your licence is revoked, you will need to undergo the full process to re-qualify and obtain a new licence.

Fine For Driving Without A Valid Licence In Malaysia

If you are caught driving without a valid licence, you will be fined based on how long your licence has expired.

How Long Your Licence Has Expired	Delivery Fee
1-15 Days	RM 150
16-30 Days	RM 200
31-60 Days	RM 300

But as noted earlier, if you do not renew your licence for more than 3 years, you will not only be fined, you will be required to take the driving exam again.

Even worse, you will have to submit an eRayuan letter to obtain a learner’s licence (LDL) which costs RM30, and after passing the exam, you be issued a probationary licence (PDL) for 2 years.

How To Check Your Licence Expiry Date In Malaysia

Did you know you can check your driving licence expiry date, even if you are overseas? Here is what you need to do :

Go to the official JPJ Licence Expiry Date enquiry page.
Select your identification type
– Temporary Resident (MYKAS)
– Permanent Resident (PTM)
– Malaysian Public (MYKAD)
– Police (POL)
– Military (TEN)
– Non Malaysia (LLN)
Key in your Identification Number (without dash)
Key in the CAPTCHA security code – the 4-digit number in the image.
Click Search.

You should get a report like this, which shows you when your driving licence was last renewed, and when it will expire.

Where To Renew Driving Licence In Malaysia

You can renew your driving licence in person, or online, depending on the licence type.

For in-person renewal, you can even get a representative (a friend, relative or runner) to renew it for you.

JPJ Licence Type	Expiry	Where To Renew
Learner’s Driving Licence (LDL)	Up to 2 years	JPJ Pos Malaysia
Probational Driving Licence (PDL)	Over 1 Year	JPJ
Competent Driving Licence (CDL)	Over 3 Years	JPJ MyEG Pos Malaysia
Public Service Vehicle (PSV) / Goods Driving Licence (GDL)	Over 3 Years	JPJ

In Person Renewal Options

Pos Malaysia post offices
– this is where I prefer to renew my driving licence
– post offices located within shopping malls are open on weekends, which makes them super convenient
– unless there is a queue, you can get your licence renewed within 15 minutes
JPJ state and branch offices
Urban Transformation Centres, where you will find a JPJ branch
– UTC Kuala Lumpur
– UTC Sentul, Kuala Lumpur
– UTC Keramat, Kuala Lumpur
– UTC Kedah
– UTC Sungai Petani, Kedah
– UTC Perak
– UTC Melaka
– UTC Johor
– UTC Pahang
– UTC Terengganu
– UTC Kuching, Sarawak
– UTC Sibu, Sarawak
– UTC Miri, Sarawak
– UTC Sabah
– UTB Tawau, Sabah

Online Renewal Option

Currently, the only online renewal option is MyEG. While convenient, just be aware that :

they can only renew the Competent Driving Licence (CDL)
you will need to submit a photo (with a white background)
they will charge a fee for delivery of the new driving licence
you won’t get your driving licence immediately

Area	Fee	Max. Delivery Time
Klang Valley	RM 6	2 working days
Peninsular Malaysia	RM 8	Towns : 2-3 working days Rural : 5 working days
Sabah + Sarawak	RM 10	5 working days

What You Need To Renew Driving Licence

Competent Driving Licence (CDL)

Renewal Options : 1 Year, 2 Years, 3 Years, 4 Years, 5 Years
Fee :

RM 2 per year for Class A or A1
RM 20 per year for Class B, B2 and C
RM 30 per year for Class D and above

Required Documents

Original MyKad / passport, or copies if renewal is undertaken by representatives
Original MyKad / passport of representatives, if necessary
Original / copy of driving licence
1 colour photo (white background) with dimensions of 25 mm x 32 mm
If you are applying in JPJ offices, you can take the picture at the counter, or use the picture embedded in your MyKad

Vocational Driving Licence (PSV / GDL)

Renewal Option : Only 1 Year
Fee : RM 20 per year
Required Documents

Original MyKad / passport, or copies if renewal is undertaken by representatives
Original MyKad / passport of representatives, if necessary
Original / copy of driving licence
Certification from medical officer (JPJL8 Form)
1 colour photo (white background) with dimensions of 25 mm x 32 mm
If you are applying in JPJ offices, you can take the picture at the counter, or use the picture embedded in your MyKad.

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Reiner Fuellmich COVID-19 Grand Jury Fact Check!

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The Reiner Fuellmich COVID-19 Grand Jury video keeps going viral on social media and WhatsApp groups.

Let’s take a look at what this COVID-19 Grand Jury is all about, and what the facts really are!

Reiner Fuellmich COVID-19 Grand Jury : What Does Video Claim?

There are several variants of the video circulating on social media, and WhatsApp group. Generally about 18 minutes in length, the video shows part of the Reiner Fuellmich COVID-19 Grand Jury Proceeding.

These proceedings, grandiosely named “Grand Jury Proceeding by the Peoples’ Court of Public Opinion, Empowering Public Conscience through Natural Law” consists of multiple 5 videos recorded over 5 days of “proceedings”.

The Grand Jury claims to be “a group of international lawyers and a judge” conducting a “criminal investigation” to present to a jury “all available evidence of COVID-19 Crimes Against Humanity“.

Reiner Fuellmich COVID-19 Grand Jury : Just Videos Of An RPG

This is yet another example of fake news created and propagated by Reiner Fuellmich and his group of anti-vaccination activists and COVID-19 deniers. Here are the reasons why…

Fact #1 : There Is No Peoples’ Court of Public Opinion

The first thing you should know is that – there is no such thing as a “Peoples’ Court of Public Opinion“.

It is merely a grandiose, make-believe name they created for their videos, and people who watch them.

As they themselves explain, “This investigation is of the people, by the people and for the people and shall be referred to as the ‘Peoples´ Court of Public Opinion’.”

By that definition – all websites and videos on the Internet are People’s Courts of Public Opinions as well.

Fact #2 : This Is Not A Legal Court

Lest there be any confusion – this is not a legal court where real lawyers present real evidence to a real jury, in front of a real judge, with real laws and rules governing the process, and real consequences.

As the group themselves admit, they were “unable to find a court to hear the actual evidence in the current system’s courts of law“.

In other words – they could not find a single court in the entire world to take their claims seriously. That’s how weak their case really is.

Fact #3 : Their Judge Was Expelled

Despite claiming to be a distinguished group of legal experts, they could only rope in Rui Fonseca e Castro, a former judge from Portugal.

Rui Fonseca e Castro used to be a judge in Portugal, but was suspended in September 2021 and then dismissed by the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM) on 9 October 2021.

The CSM voted to dismiss Rui Fonseca e Castro as a judge for abusing his position as a judge to post videos on social networks to “encourage the violation of the law and health rules” concerning COVID-19.

Fact #3 : It Was Just A Role-Play Game

The whole Grand Jury Proceeding of the Peoples´ Court of Public Opinion by Reiner Fuellmich was nothing more than a role-playing game (RPG).

What you basically have is a group of anti-vaccination activists and/or COVID-19 deniers pretending to conduct an online “Grand Jury” proceeding.

The videos have a small overlay on the lower right corner – Model Proceeding, probably a legal device (e.g. This Is Not Real!) to avoid being sued for misrepresenting themselves.

Fact #4 : They Spend Their Time Role-Playing

Reiner Fuellmich is part of the Berlin Corona Committee – a group that loves role-playing games, probably because they cannot do anything real.

I covered their BasisCamp role-playing game back in August 2021, where they pretended to be the German government.

They went viral with a video of their announcement of a moratorium against COVID-19 vaccination in Germany, allegedly because there is no longer an epidemic.

Obviously, that did not happen. It was theatrics back then, and it’s just theatrics this time too.

Fact #5 : Grand Jury Claims Have Been Proven False

The video being shared is basically Reiner Fuellmich’s opening statement in his make-believe COVID-19 Grand Jury.

In his 18-minute statement, he lists a litany of COVID-19 claims that have long been proven false. Here is just a small selection :

PCR tests cannot detect COVID-19 : false
COVID-19 can be treated with vitamin C and zinc : false
COVID-19 can be treated with ivermectin : false | false | false | false | false | false
COVID-19 can be treated with hydroxychloroquine : false | false | false
Alternative treatments were banned : false | false | false | false
COVID-19 vaccines are experimental : false | false | false | false
COVID-19 vaccines are dangerous : false | false | false | false

After over 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems absurd that Fuellmich is unaware of these facts.

Don’t risk your life or your family’s lives on the bad science and misinformation promoted by Reiner Fuellmich and his compatriots.

Please help me fight fake news, by sharing this fact check with your family and friends!

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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3 Days Later… Roblox Is Finally Up + Running Again!

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Three days after they fell off the face of the Earth, Roblox is finally UP and RUNNING again!

Roblox’s CEO explains what happened…

3 Days Later… Roblox Is Finally Up + Running Again!

Ever since Roblox went down on 29 October 2021, they have been saying that they are “making progress” and even “identified an underlying internal cause of the outage“.

But frustrated kids… and adults who are kids at heart, spent the weekend walking around like zombies because they could no longer get their fix of Arsenal or Piggy.

Just kidding! Many of them turned to Minecraft or Among Us, because who can go a weekend without games?

Anyway…. 3 days later… Roblox finally announced that they “identified root cause and solution” and “are working on getting things back online“.

We have identified root cause and solution. We are working on getting things back online and we will keep you updated throughout the day.

— Roblox (@Roblox) October 31, 2021

And about 7 hours later, they managed to get Roblox up and running globally!

Roblox is back online everywhere! Thank you for your continued patience as we get back to normal.

— Roblox (@Roblox) October 31, 2021

Roblox CEO On What Happened…

Roblox founder and CEO, David Baszucki, later shared a little on what happened and why it took them so long to get the problems fixed.

it was a combination of several factors
there was a subtle bug in their backend service communications that is triggered under heavy load
a core system in their infrastructure became overwhelmed
it was not due to external traffic or any particular experience (e.g. Chipotle promotion)
the failure was due to the growth in the number of servers in their datacenters

So it looks like it really did not involve whacking their servers with a crowbar, or praying to them…

The good news is – there has been NO LOSS of player’s data, and your Roblox experience should be fully back to normal!

3 Days Earlier… Roblox Went Down HARD

Here’s a quick round-up of what happened three days ago, for people who have no freaking idea what happened.

A couple of days ago, Chipotle announced that they would open a virtual restaurant in Roblox, which will give away free burritos, virtual costumes and exclusive items. There’s even a fun Boorito Maze to try out!

But about 30 minutes after that Chipotle event kicked off, Roblox started experiencing problems, which snowballed until their entire platform and website fell off the face of the Earth.

That was THREE DAYS AGO… and since then, all we know is that they have been working hard to figure out what went wrong, and no, it was not Chipotle’s fault.

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Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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Roblox Down More Than 2 Days, Not Because Of Chipotle!

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Roblox, has been down for MORE THAN 2 days now, but apparently, it has NOTHING to do with the massive Chipotle promotion!

Here is what we know so far…

Roblox Down More Than 2 Days

Roblox first experienced issues at around 7 AM on 29 October 2021, which initially affected only Games and Account Information.

⚠️ Looks like #Roblox is currently experiencing issues! We'll update you if we receive any further information. Services impacted: Games & Account Information.#RobloxDown ⚙️

— Roblox Status (@blox_status) October 28, 2021

But that snowballed and the entire Roblox gaming platform and website went offline, forcing them to issue a terse tweet saying that they are “working hard to get things back to normal”.

We know you’re having issues using Roblox right now.

We’re sorry and working hard to get things back to normal.

— Roblox (@Roblox) October 29, 2021

Unfortunately, they didn’t seem to be making much progress because Roblox has been down for more than two days!

That’s an eternity for an online gaming platform, especially a massively-popular one for kids… on a weekend!

At about 11 PM on 30 October, the Roblox website announced that it is “currently in maintenance mode to allow for internal work to be completed“.

More than 6 hours later – Roblox remained offline, with another round of assurance that they’re working on the problem :

Did they get locked out of their servers like Facebook earlier this month? Sounds far worse, if you ask me…

Roblox Went Down Not Because Of Chipotle

On 26 October 2021, Chipotle announced that it would open a virtual restaurant in Roblox, offering $1 million in free burritos!

Fans would be able to visit the virtual Chipotle restaurant to score a free burrito, by dressing up in new Chipotle-inspired Halloween virtual costumes.

They would also be able to navigate the Chipotle Boorito Maze to unlock exclusive Roblox items!

Some irate players have suggested that Roblox went down because of this Chipotle promotion, a hypothesis that had some teeth because the issues started occurring about 30 minutes after Chipotle promotion kicked off!

However, Roblox later claimed that the downtime was NOT related to the Chipotle promotion :

We know that this outage was not related to any specific experiences or partnerships on the platform.

At 5 AM on 31 October, Roblox shared that they “believe” they identified the problem :

We believe we have identified an underlying internal cause of the outage. We’re in the process of performing the necessary engineering and maintenance work to get Roblox back up and running ASAP. Thanks for your patience.

Well, Chipotle’s fault or not, kids and adults who are kids at heart around the world will be eagerly waiting for Roblox to get back online again!

Until then, enjoy these funny memes and comments by Roblox fans!

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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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DHL eCommerce Central Hub Temporarily Suspended!

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DHL eCommerce had to close their Central Hub in Selangor, and it remains suspended today!

Find out what’s going on, and the impact on your parcel deliveries!

DHL eCommerce Central Hub Temporarily Suspended!

On 13 August 2021, DHL eCommerce announced that they were ordered by the Malaysia Ministry of Health (KKM) to temporarily close their Central Hub in Selangor.

They did not disclose whether it had anything to do with rumours of COVID-19 cases involving their delivery or sorting personnel, only that it was for “further assessment & discussion“, following “precautionary checks done by KKM in the area“.

As of Monday, 16 August 2021, the DHL eCommerce has not announced when their Central Hub in Selangor, which remains closed, will reopen.

Impact Of DHL eCommerce Central Hub Closure

DHL suspended collection of new parcels since 14 August 2021, but said that existing parcels in their network will be delivered.

However, it is unknown if they are also referring to parcels at their Central Hub (which is now closed), or merely parcels already distributed to their regional hubs.

This is reminiscent of when the Shopee warehouse was similarly closed “to implement new SOPs“.

At that time, the Shopee warehouse was closed for 10 days – the minimum days required for a home quarantine of confirmed or suspect COVID-19 cases.

Please Support My Work!

Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!

Name : Adrian Wong
Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.

He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.

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How To Register Children For COVID-19 Vaccine In Malaysia!

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Find out how to register children 12 years and older for COVID-19 vaccine programme in Malaysia!

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Approved For Children In Malaysia!

On 15 June 2021, the Malaysia Ministry of Health (KKM) announced that the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) approved the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in children 12 years and above.

You may recall that the Pfizer COMIRNATY vaccine was first approved for use in adults 18 years and above on 8 January 2021.

With this approval, children aged 12 years and above will be able to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

How To Register Children For COVID-19 Vaccine Using MySejahtera

MySejahtera has been updated to allow registration of children for the COVID-19 vaccine, so here is our video guide on how to do that!

For our step-by-step guide, please see How To Register Children For Vaccine In MySejahtera!

Registering Children For COVID-19 Vaccine In Vaksin COVID Website

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to do that on the Vaksin COVID website.

Go to the Vaksin COVID-19 website at www.vaksincovid.gov.my.
Click on the green REGISTER NOW button.
Or use these direct links – BM | English | Chinese | Tamil
In the first part of the COVID-19 vaccine registration page, you will need to fill in :
– Your child’s name
– Your child’s age
– Your child’s IC (MyKad) or Passport number
– Phone number : this can be your child’s own number, or yours

In the next part, you will be asked to fill in these details for your child :
– State : where your child currently lives
– Email (optional) : this will be an alternate means to contact you or your child
– Address : where your child currently lives. This can be different from your address if your child is (for example) in a boarding school or living with a guardian
You will also be asked three simple questions :
– Is your child interested to take the COVID-19 vaccine :
– Does your child have any comorbidities?
– Is your child registered with the Department of Social Welfare Malaysia as a disabled person?

If your child has comorbidities, you will be asked to select them from list :
– Diabetes Mellitus
– Hypertension
– Heart Disease
– Asthma
– Cancer
– Chronic Lung Disease
– Kidney Disease
– Liver Disease
– Stroke
– Immunocompromised
– Obesity
– Bleeding Tendency (INR ≥ 4)
– History of Severe Allergic Reaction
– Others : you will need to fill it in manually

Listing your child’s comorbidities will help the JKJAV team prioritise children at higher risk from COVID-19, and exclude those who cannot receive the vaccine.

Once you are done, double check what you have entered and click or tap on the I’m not a robot checkbox.
Then click > SUBMIT.

That’s it! You should see this Thank You message pop-up, confirming that you have successfully registered your child for the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Malaysia!

If you do not see this Thank You message, keep clicking on the Submit button every few minutes. You may need to redo the I’m not a robot test every now and then.

Now that you have just learned how to register your children for the COVID-19 vaccine programme in Malaysia, please SHARE this with your family and friends.

Encourage them to register their children for the COVID-19 vaccine programme in Malaysia too! Let’s get rid of COVID-19 together!

Help Support My Work!

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Name : Adrian Wong

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Thank you in advanced! ❤️

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Online Shopping Package Wrapped In Pink Underwear!

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We are used to all kinds of packaging for online purchases, but this is the first time we have seen a package wrapped in pink underwear!

Delivery Mystery : Package Wrapped In Pink Underwear!

Online shopping is all the rage during the pandemic, and we are used to all manners of packaging. Everything from cardboard boxes and bubble wrap, to plastic bags and styrofoam boxes.

But this is the first time we have ever seen a cardboard package wrapped in pink underwear!

On 7 February 2021, Mamaayu Admia Ayunormaslinda shared about how her husband received a package from J&T Express. Not only was the box beaten up, it came wrapped in pink underwear!

The J&T Express delivery man was tickled by the odd packaging, but said that he was delivering the package as received.

To be clear, she ordered pencil boxes for her children, not underwear. So it was not a case of a package of underwear being torn, and someone at J&T Express just wrapping an errant underwear over the package, instead of stuffing it back inside.

Package Wrapped In Pink Underwear : Who Did It?

As this case came right after the J&T Express worker controversy, netizens suggested that it may be a case of “protest” or “sabotage” by disgruntled J&T Express workers.

After all, no vendor would actually ship their parcels wrapped in underwear. That’s a sure way to become infamous and possibly lose customers.

This led some netizens to accuse Mamaayu of making up the story.

But this “wrapping” was peculiar enough that someone working at J&T Express noticed it earlier and took a picture of it.

Ain Nurza, posted this picture below, saying that her husband who works at J&T Express found the package already wrapped in the pink underwear earlier.

The box looks to be in good condition and not beaten up, so this must have been early in the delivery process.

With this corroborating picture from a third-party, it is clear that Mamaayu was not making up the story.

It seems most likely that someone at another J&T Express hub wrapped the package with this pink underwear as a prank, or as a form of protest or sabotage in relation to the alleged cuts in commission.

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Vettons : New eCommerce Platform For Smarter Shopping!

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Vettons is a new e-commerce platform that promises to make it easier for consumers to buy original products from authorised retailers.

Find out what advantages Vettons offers over their competitors, both to consumer and retailers in Malaysia!

Vettons : New eCommerce Platform For Smarter Shopping!

Launched on 7 July 2020, Vettons is a new e-commerce platform that promises to deliver smarter and safer online shopping.

As Head of Marketplace, Derek Ng, explains, Vettons is focused on guaranteeing a safe shopping experience, and making it easy for companies to sell and deliver their products.

To guarantee that only genuine products are sold on their platform, they vet companies applying to join their platform to ensure that they are authorised to sell those products.

They also work with brands and have a zero-tolerance policy – companies that sell counterfeit products on their platform are banned.

This not only guarantees consumers a safer shopping experience, it also elevates companies selling genuine products, giving them greater visibility.

On top of that, Vettons make it easy for them to deliver their products using geolocation tagging with smart logistics through their three logistic partners.

Vettons : How To Start Shopping?

The Vettons app is available on both Apple App Store and Google Play Store :

App Store Google Play

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World of Buzz : Stop Feeding Content Regurgitation Websites!

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A former World of Buzz writer just exposed really goes on inside that infamous clickbait website, and show us why we should stop feeding such content regurgitation websites.

World of Buzz : Who Are They?

World of Buzz claims to be Malaysia’s no. 1 social news website. It is basically a content farm, reposting content scraped from social media websites.

World of Buzz may not be as bad as The Coverage Bureau (which deserves a special mention for reposting old news!), but they are still pretty notorious for their scraped content.

They are part of Influasia, which also runs Lobak Merah, NOODOU, and Munch.

World of Buzz : Former Intern Tells All!

After World of Buzz got banned for a month on Reddit, one of their former writers wrote an expose on what really goes on behind the scenes.

This former writer for World of Buzz was an intern who worked there for four months, and shared evidence to back up his/her claim :

official documents
a campaign brief
emails with the founder
employment / onboarding emails

This was what he/she revealed on Reddit :

I was a former intern for 4 months in World of Buzz and am here to spill the tea on this heaping pile of crap they call a “news publication”.

Without revealing too much (am using a throw away account because I am afraid that somebody from Influasia lurking in this sub might be able to pinpoint who I am with my main account), I was a, so called, “content creator”. Only problem is I didn’t create content, I stole them. I was ordered by the bosses to basically rip off whatever I can find on Facebook in the morning when I reach the office.

Obviously, I didn’t join World of Buzz for its Pulitzer Prize winning news reporting. But I never knew how bad their ethics were until the first day I stepped into the office. On the first minute on the job, I was immediately told that I had a strict KPI to follow, 3-5 articles a day, and 1 video per day if you’re a video editor. If you remotely know how news reporting and video production works, you’ll know that this is practically impossible. Hence, why so many articles they publish are basically rip-offs of some other news source. The bosses didn’t care about validity and truth, all they cared was views and revenue.

Many people like to pin the blame on the writer for the shoddy articles, but I assure you, none of it is their fault. I know for a fact that all of my former colleagues are passionate writers and journalists, they just got conned into joining a dodgy company who promised them freedom and creativity over their work, but was in fact nothing more than a copypasta blog. There was a period that many of my former colleagues stood against the unethical ways of reporting but to no avail, they were already duped into signing an employment contract and if you can’t hit your daily quota, you’ll be constantly ridiculed by the bosses for being inefficient and be constantly reviewed on a weekly basis.

Hence, why my colleagues, once a passionate journalist, turn to summarizing and rephrasing news articles from Facebook. I mean, the bosses and readers didn’t care. They just wanted to get the job done and leave the shitty work place. I remember that there was a really slow news week, all of the writers barely had anything to cover, we constantly pulled all nighters for the whole week (without OT), scouring the bottom of the barrel just for content to hit the daily quota, coming in dead tired the next day just to repeat the cycle all over again, but what do we get for our hard-work? A complaint for writing “boring” articles. It was truly hell. For the short 4-months I was there, about all of the writers of World of Buzz left or was about to leave, half of Lobak Merah’s writers left, and the lead of Noodou left. They had rather pay the exorbitant penalties just to get out of the contract rather than staying in the company.

The bosses often liked to remind us that our job was a luxury, we didn’t need to run around town like real reporters, and all we had to do was rip off articles. But for us passionate writers, we rather be under the hot sun covering real news, discovering something new and sharing it with fellow Malaysians. But what do the bosses know, they are nothing more than bunch of rich kids who don’t care about news, took their parents money, started a copy-pasta blog, registered it and called it a “media company”.

Some of you may think “Biasalah, all Malaysian work place and bosses is like this punya.” But let me remind you, the people accused of such a thing are the few Malaysians who made it into Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia 2019. Praised for their creativity and silicon valley-like administration.

I heard that since my departure, workplace culture has improved tremendously, but the culture of plagiarism and sensationalising issues still seems like the norm here. When you see World of Buzz, don’t click into it, don’t read it, it’s not worth your time. Punish the company with your indifference to its existence.

Click to read more

World of Buzz : Stop Feeding Content Regurgitation Websites!

Clickbait websites like World of Buzz and The Coverage have long been detested by writers and content creators, but the fact is we, the READERS, are at fault.

We feed these websites, and encourage them to keep farming and regurgitating content from social media and other websites.

What we readers don’t understand is that content creation is HARD WORK.

It may take us just a few minutes to read an article that a writer probably spent several hours writing. And that’s not even counting hours spent in research and fact checking.

Do We Want To Be Donald Trump?

Unfortunately, people today have very short attention spans. The world is moving away from serious, in-depth pieces to short, easy-to-understand blurbs.

Even better if it’s just a picture or a short video clip. People will skip anything too long to read. They even created an acronym for that – TLDR : Too Long, Didn’t Read.

In essence, we are becoming more like Donald Trump, and less like Barack Obama.

Why Are Our Standards So Low?

And with thousands of websites targeting the same readers, the only way to grab our attention is to introduce shocking or scandalous articles, and it doesn’t matter if they are old, fake or misleading!

Why? Because most of us don’t even read beyond the title or first paragraph! And we certainly don’t care whether it’s true or accurate. We just click and share.

Because our standards are so low, we drive the demand for clickbait websites that regurgitate content without verification and fact-checking.

We Are So Entitled + Cheap

We are so entitled, we feel that content creators should not only give you articles and videos for free, they should not have those irritating advertisements.

So we install ad blockers. Why should they be allowed to run ads if the Internet is meant to be free? They should be lucky we even want to read what they write! /s

What readers don’t understand is that many websites do not get paid a single cent, unless you click on the advertisements in their articles or videos. Even those who get paid by views (impressions) are paid mere cents per thousand views!

That encourages them to churn out as much content as possible with as little effort possible. And the easiest and cheapest way to do that is to regurgitate (copy and paste) social media content.

Ultimately, we killed the media industry by making it unprofitable to create content, and created content regurgitating monsters like World of Buzz by making it profitable to just regurgitate content.

If we want things to change – we have to stop being so entitled and cheap.

Stop reading and sharing posts from media regurgitation websites, and start supporting websites that actually create content.

Recommended Reading

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TNB During MCO : No Electricity Bill? Here’s How To Pay!

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TNB employees will no longer read the meter or issue any electricity bill during the COVID-19 MCO, but you still need to pay your electricity bill!

Find out how much you need to pay TNB for your electricity usage during the COVID-19 MCO!

TNB Meter Reading + Bill Rendering : Stopped During MCO!

After the Movement Control Order (MCO) started, Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) announced that they would stop these operations from 20 March 2020 until further notice :

on-premise meter reading, and
on-premise rendering of electricity bill

They also announced that :

you will be issued an estimated bill, based on your previous month’s consumption.
your bill will be adjusted only when they resume meter reading, after the MCO period ends.
during the MCO, TNB will not deliver any printed electricity bill to your premise.

You still need to pay your TNB electricity bill during the MCO / CMCO. Just because you don’t get your bill, doesn’t mean you get to stop paying.

Won’t TNB Resume Meter Reading + Bill Rendering During CMCO?

On 13 May 2020, TNB announced that they are resuming meter reading and bill rendering on a staggered basis, and only in green zone states :

Perlis
Penang
Kedah
Perak (except Sri Manjung)
Kelantan

That basically means they still won’t perform meter reading for most of the country during the Conditional MCO period.

How To Pay Your TNB Bill During MCO / CMCO?

There are three ways to handle your TNB electricity bill during the MCO / CMCO.

Option 1 : Pay The Estimated Bill

TNB mentioned that you will be issued an estimated bill, based on your last bill. If your last bill was RM 100, then your estimated bill during the MCO will be RM 100.

All you have to do is continue paying based on your last bill every month, as long as the Movement Control Order is in effect.

Just pay online through JomPAY using your online banking account.

Option 2 : Use TNB Express Payment

The easiest way to check your current bill and make payment is through myTNB.

Just key in your 12-digit TNB account number, and you will receive the current amount due.

You can pay up to RM 250 using a credit or debit card through Express Payment by clicking Next.

If you wish to pay more than RM 250 though, you will need to first register and log into myTNB.

Alternatively, you can pay through JomPAY using your online banking account.

Option 3 : Use myTNB App

The third option is to install and use the myTNB app, which is available as a free download on both Google Play Store and App Store :

Follow these steps to register and check your current TNB bill on the myTNB app :

COVID-19 : How To Keep Safe!

Here are a few simple steps to stay safe from COVID-19 :

Stay at home or shelter in place
Keep your hands clean with soap or hand sanitiser
If you must go out, maintain a social distance of 6 feet (2 metres)
Wear a surgical mask and make sure you put it on and remove it properly!

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THREE Fake CIMB Bank Call + SMS Scams!

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Scammers are now targeting Malaysians with THREE fake CIMB Bank scams regarding online or credit card payments.

Please SHARE this scam alert with your family and friends, so they won’t get cheated!

THREE Fake CIMB Bank Call + SMS Scams!

Due to the COVID-19 lockdown, many Malaysians are now purchasing more online, and paying for those purchases with their credit cards.

This has attracted scammers who are now targeting both online purchasers and credit card users. In these new scams, they are pretending to be CIMB Bank.

Scam #1 : Credit Card Payment Authorisation

In this scam, the scammers used an automated call system with the number +113818415.

After you accept the call, a pre-recorded message will ask you to verify that you have just charged RM XXXX to your credit card, with these options :

Press 1 to accept the charge to your credit card
Press 2 to speak to a CIMB bank officer

Needless to say, when you opt to speak to a bank officer (fearing that you are a victim of a hacking attempt), the scammer will now convince you to transfer your money from your bank account to the bank’s account for “safe keeping”.

There is no such thing. Banks will NEVER ask you to transfer money out of your account. If they suspect fraud, they can simply disable your credit card, and deny payment to the merchant.

Scam #2 : Outstanding Credit Card Debt

In a different version of the first scam, the automated call system used a mobile number – +6012-22452090.

This time, the pre-recorded message will inform you that you owe RM XXXX on your CIMB Bank credit card.

Again, you will be offered the opportunity to speak with a CIMB Bank officer – the scammer – who will try to convince you to pay the money into a different account, or give him / her your login details.

A real bank officer will NEVER ask you to transfer money to a different bank account, or request for your login details. If you have outstanding credit card debt, the bank will just charge you interest on it.

Scam #3 : Online Purchase Warning

Happening concurrently with the scam calls is this CIMB Bank SMS scam campaign.

You may receive something like this, which looks like a genuine SMS from CIMB Bank informing you about a charge to your credit card.

Of course, the mobile number – +6013-688-1813 is a dead giveaway for those who are alert. But at a glance, it looks genuine enough.

If you call the scam number – 1800-81-9767, you will be connected to the scammer, who will then try to convince you to transfer money from your bank account to a CIMB Bank account for “safe keeping”.

Just like in the first scam example, no bank will ever ask you to transfer money out of your own bank account. Even if they suspect fraud, they can simply lock your account.

And again, if they suspect your credit card has been misused, they can simply disable your credit card, and deny payment to the merchant.

Warn Everyone About Bank Scams!

Such scams, whether they are from CIMB Bank or any other bank, has the potential to cost the victim A LOT OF MONEY.

So please warn your family and friends about these scams. Share this article as widely as possible.

And if you receive a similar call, please report it to Maybank, Bank Negara and the police.

Here are different bank scams that you may want to be alert about :

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Acronis Cyber Protect : What Does It Offer?

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Acronis Cyber Protect claims to be the “world’s first complete cyber protection solution” for businesses and Managed Service Providers (MSPs).

Let’s take a look at what Acronis Cyber Protect offers!

Acronis Cyber Protect : What Is It?

Acronis Cyber Protect is a new cyber protection solution, which combines three key features :

Backup and Recovery : to allow reliable recovery of data, apps and systems
Malware Protection : to defend data with anti-malware and anti-ransomware protection
Security Controls : save IT resources with a simplified but comprehensive endpoint management toolkit

Acronis Cyber Protect : Business Benefits

This is what Acronis Cyber Protect promises to offer businesses :

Benefit #1 : Data Availability

Create regular, reliable backups of your data automatically and store them securely so they are instantly available whenever needed.

Benefit #2 : Fast Remediation

Restore data to any device – servers, workstations, VMs, and mobile devices – using full reimage, granular restore, or Instant Restore.

Benefit #3 : Downtime Prevention

Avoid the kind of costly system downtime that’s caused by ransomware, configuration errors, unpatched vulnerabilities, or faulty hardware.

Benefit #4 : Lower TCO

Improve performance, internal SLAs, and IT efficiencies so you can focus on important tasks, while simplifying training and maintenance.

Benefit #5 : Streamlined Protection

Eliminate complexity from your operations with one solution that integrates data protection, malware prevention, and security controls.

Acronis Cyber Protect : MSP Benefits

This is what Acronis Cyber Protect promises to offer Managed Service Providers (MSPs) :

Benefit #1 : Improved Profitability

Attract new business, upsell existing customers, and improve your ARPU by offering a full range of superior data protection services.

Benefit #2 : Easier SLA Compliance

Ensure that you are meeting your SLA requirements by helping customers avoid downtime and enabling immediate restores when needed.

Benefit #3 : Greater Cost Control

Reduce administrative costs by using one tool for all tasks – backups, onboarding, monitoring, managing, assistance, and reporting.

Benefit #4 : Decreased Churn

Keep your existing customers happy and satisfied so they come back for more – generating greater financial stability for your business.

Acronis Cyber Protect : Availability + Promotion

Acronis Cyber Protect has yet to be released, but you can request for Early Access.

Acronis is also offering Cyber Protect at the same cost of Acronis Cyber Backup Cloud for all service providers until July 31, 2020.

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12 Days Later : Unifi Statement On Game Server Issues…

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12 days after the official Unifi support account on Twitter claimed that Unifi blocked some game servers, Unifi finally issued an official statement on the whole PR disaster…

Their statement was aptly named We Are Gamers Too… but honestly, this statement should have been issued 12 days ago.

What Happened : Unifi Will Block Games With Inappropriate Content???

The whole issue started on 6 February 2020, when Ahmad Asyraf asked the official Unifi support account on Twitter (@helpmeunifi) to check why he was unable to connect to the Rainbow Six Siege game servers on Unifi.

Shockingly, he was told that “TM will block if the games involve inappropriate content such as violent, gaming, scam, etc.”

While some netizens started saying that @helpmeunifi is a fake account, that’s not true. It is a genuine Unifi support account on Twitter.

We Found Out What Really Happened 11 Days Ago

We got in touch with a Unifi Chat staff to clarify this, and she confirmed that the @helpmeunifi statement was correct.

It would have been easy to stop there, and start lambasting Unifi for such a policy. After all, the Malaysian government is promoting esports involving FPS games like Rainbow Six Siege!

But for us, their statements appear to be boilerplate replies by frontline staff members who have no idea if this is actually a technical issue, or a policy decision.

So we wrote to TM by email, asking them to clarify why Unifi users are unable to access Rainbow Six Siege game servers.

If it was a technical issue, what was the problem, and when will Unifi be able to restore access?

And if it was a policy issue, we wanted to know how TM came to that decision to block access to the Rainbow Six Siege game servers on Unifi, and if that was a directive by the MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission).

This was their replies to us in two separate emails (edited for clarity) :

We are not restricting access to Ubisoft game servers. We are currently working on the issue with Ubisoft.

Our 2nd Level team is already aware of this issue, and are in the midst of investigating the cause. We cannot give you a restoration time frame, and sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused.

So, there you have it, everyone. Confirmation that TM did not actually block access to the Rainbow Six Siege game servers, or any game server for the matter.

As we suspected, the TM Unifi frontline support staff merely recited their boilerplate policy that they have the right to block access to content with inappropriate content.

We Are Gamers Too : Official Unifi Statement On Game Server Issues

Almost two weeks into this PR kerfuffle, Unifi finally issued an official statement on the whole issue :

We Are Gamers Too

Hi everyone, recently we’ve received feedback that some unifi users, who are avid gamers, have had some problems accessing their favourite video game servers such as EA, Ubisoft and the PlayStation Network. Understandably, this has caused some frustration. We get it and we feel your frustration. After all, we’re gamers too.

And understandably, there has been some confusion on why these problems occurred. Difficulty accessing gaming servers is not a problem for unifi users only. We’ve checked. Gamers on other networks in Malaysia and around the world are going through the same thing.

There are a number of scenarios that may affect access to game servers. They include multiple logins and wrong login attempts. This has nothing to do with the unifi network itself. Please give us a moment to clarify some misconceptions.

We Do Not Block Access To Game Servers

A number of you have reached out to us via social media and our official customer service channels asking if we block access to game servers. We’d like to make it very clear that we don’t and have no reason to do so. Video games are a big part of a lot of people, including us.

Our Network Is Built For Gamers

With a fibre optic network that spans a distance farther than the moon, the unifi network is the most extensive fixed and mobile network in the country, and we’ve designed this network to cater for the demands of gamers just like you.

Our network comprises of 12 data centres, 20 submarine cables spanning the globe and over 560,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables to offer the best gaming experience for you.

Our state-of-the-art network operations centre proactively monitors our network and continuously optimizes data routes to mitigate and eliminate congestions to further improve your gaming experience.

At the same time, we’re always adding the latest game consoles in our labs as part of our test program to find out how we can further optimize our network for the newest consoles.

In addition, we have direct peering connections to some of the biggest game brands in the world.

If You Encounter Problems, What Can You Do?

First of all, it is very likely not a problem with the unifi network. The causes for problems accessing your favourite games server may vary and we recommend that you reach out to the server provider directly to check.

Head over to the unifi community. We have an active community of unifi users that help each other. The unifi community is the best place to find like-minded users that may have encountered a similar problem and have found a solution for it. Users having problems with their PSN Network Address Translation (NAT) configuration found that the solution offered here help solved their issue.

We hope these tips will improve your gaming experience. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us on social media, via live chat or phone. Thank you.

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2020 Microsoft Digital Civility Index : Some Surprises!

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The 2020 Microsoft Digital Civility Index was just released in conjunction with Safer Internet Day, their fourth report on the state of online civility worldwide.

Here is a quick summary of what Microsoft revealed in their 2020 Digital Civility Index, including some surprises!

2020 Microsoft Digital Civility Index : What Is It?

The 2020 Microsoft Digital Civility Index is a survey of 12,520 adults and teenagers across 25 countries around the world.

There were approximately 500 participants per country.
The interviews were conducted through a 14-minute online survey.
The adults were between 18 and 74 years of age.
The teenagers were between 13 and 17 years of age.

2020 Microsoft Digital Civility Index : Key Findings

Top 5 + Bottom 5 Countries

First, let’s start with the Top 5 and Bottom 5 countries ranked by the 2020 Microsoft Digital Civility Index.

Top 5 Countries : United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Germany, Malaysia, USA

Bottom 5 Countries : Vietnam, Russia, Colombia, Peru, South Africa

Not bad! Malaysia is in the top 5! What a nice surprise!

But it is sobering to see that even in the “most digitally civil” country – the United Kingdom, more than half reported uncivil online behaviour.

The Most Common Risks

The most common uncivil behaviour encountered online were :

Unwanted sexting : 25%
Online harassment : 24%
Hoaxes, scams and fraud : 20%
Trolling : 19%
Hate speech : 18%

The 5 Most Painful Online Risks

There were some significant year-on-year changes on the 5 most painful online risks they faced in 2019 :

Damage to personal reputation : 95% (up 14%)
Misogyny : 91% (up 16%)
Sexual solicitation : 87% (up 32%)
Cyberbullying : 86% (up 21%)
Damage to professional reputation : 85% (up 10%)

Other Interesting Findings Summarised

Here is a quick summary of other interesting findings from the 2020 Microsoft Digital Civility Index report :

Topics that drive uncivil behaviour : Religion (45%), Politics (39%), Sexual Orientation (37%), Race (37%)
Most common place for uncivil behaviour : Social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
49% have had contact with the perpetrator in real life
Risks and consequences are significantly higher if the perpetrator has had contact with the victim in real life
Millennials (66%) and Boomers (62%) are the most at-risk adult groups

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Did TM Block Games On Unifi? No, And Here’s Why…

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The official Unifi support account on Twitter shocked Malaysians when it claimed that TM will block games with inappropriate content.

We confirmed that it actually happened, but that it was all a misunderstanding, and Unifi did not block access to the Rainbow Six Siege game servers.

Here is what happened, and how TM Unifi’s response kicked off the whole controversy…

TM Unifi Will Block Games With Inappropriate Content?

The whole issue started when Ahmad Asyraf asked the official Unifi support account on Twitter (@helpmeunifi) to check why he was unable to connect to the Rainbow Six Siege game servers on Unifi.

Shockingly, he was told that “TM will block if the games involve inappropriate content such as violent, gaming, scam, etc.”

While some netizens started saying that @helpmeunifi is a fake account, that’s not true. It is a genuine Unifi support account on Twitter.

We got in touch with a Unifi Chat staff to clarify this, and she confirmed that the @helpmeunifi statement was correct.

It would have been easy to stop there, and start lambasting Unifi for such a policy. After all, the Malaysian government is promoting esports involving FPS games like Rainbow Six Siege!

But for us, their statements appear to be boilerplate replies by frontline staff members who have no idea if this is actually a technical issue, or a policy decision.

No, TM Unifi Did Not Block Access To Game Servers

So we wrote to TM by email, asking them to clarify why Unifi users are unable to access Rainbow Six Siege game servers.

If it was a technical issue, what was the problem, and when will Unifi be able to restore access?

This was their replies to us in two separate emails (edited for clarity) :

We are not restricting access to Ubisoft game servers. We are currently working on the issue with Ubisoft.

So, there you have it, everyone. Confirmation that TM did not actually block access to the Rainbow Six Siege game servers, or any game server for the matter.

As we suspected, the TM Unifi frontline support staff merely recited their boilerplate policy that they have the right to block access to content with inappropriate content.

However, that is not the case with this sudden loss of connectivity to Ubisoft servers. And even more unfortunately, they cannot give anyone an idea of when they can restore connectivity…