Malaysia blocks same-sex dating sites Grindr and Blued, mulls legal measures to curb LGBTQ+ dating apps
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has not received requests to remove the mobile application versions of Grindr and Blued from app stores, noting challenges due to such apps being foreign-owned.
Grindr app is seen on a mobile phone in this photo illustration taken in Shanghai, China, on Mar 28, 2019. (File photo: REUTERS/Aly Song)
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has blocked same-sex dating websites Grindr and Blued and will study legal measures to curb the presence of LGBTQ+ dating apps from app stores, its communications minister said on Wednesday (Feb 25).
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), however, has not received requests to remove the mobile application versions of Grindr and Blued from app stores, noting challenges due to such apps being foreign-owned.
“Control over applications on platforms such as Google Play and Apple Store is subject to regulations and policies set by the said platform providers, since both applications are owned by foreign companies operating outside of Malaysia,” Fahmi said in a written parliamentary reply on Wednesday.
He was responding to a question on whether MCMC has worked with app store providers to block downloads of such apps.
MCMC is examining several legal measures to curb such applications and will take action against content or apps that violate local laws, he said.
“This includes those that spread lewd or immoral content, exploitation, abuse, scams, exploiting children or threats towards public safety,” Fahmi added.
Action that could be taken include requesting content removal from platforms, restricting access, or referring cases to enforcement agencies such as the police for further investigation, according to local media.
Countries where Grindr has been restricted include Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Lebanon, Qatar, Pakistan, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, according to a list on Grindr’s website.
Meanwhile, Apple removed Chinese-owned dating apps Blued and Finka, China's two most widely used gay dating apps, from its app store in November 2025, after receiving orders from the Chinese chief internet regulator and censorship body.
Blued and Finka were not available on Apple’s App Store as of Nov 11, 2025, and the apps had been erased from locally adapted platforms in China that serve Android devices, reported CNN.
Indonesia has also banned several other same-sex dating apps, while other regional counterparts, such as Thailand and the Philippines, have not.
An Indonesian government official reportedly said in 2016 that authorities were moving to block same-sex dating apps Grindr, Blued and BoyAhoy after a police request, according to an AFP report.
Between 2016 and 2018, Indonesia’s communication ministry moved to block 169 websites with “immoral” LGBT content.
In 2024, Indonesia began parliamentary discussions on a revised broadcasting Bill that would impose new restrictions on LGBTQ-related content or advertisements in digital spaces and television networks, with penalties including written warnings or revoking of licenses.
Debate on the Bill was initially postponed at the request of several politicians but was placed back on the legislative priority list in November.
Over half of Asian countries have laws restricting LGBTQ-related content, according to an International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association World database report. Same-sex apps have also been banned from countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
On Nov 28, 2025, Malaysia arrested 208 men following a raid on a male-only sauna in Kuala Lumpur over alleged “immoral activities”. It was the largest police crackdown on a gay space since a 2022 raid on the Shagrilla drag event in Kuala Lumpur.
