Malaysia bans Dickheads NFT

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has banned the Dickheads NFT project, which features anthropomorphic penises, from being minted on local NFT marketplaces.

Image credit: Dickheads NFT

Tech in Asia understands that a complaint was filed with the MCMC, which led the agency on March 30 to order NFT Pangolin, a newly launched Malaysia-based marketplace, to delist the project.

MCMC told us that the agency requested NFT Pangolin to remove the NFTs after receiving “complaints that the content is deemed to be inappropriate and indecent in nature.”

Meanwhile, an NFT Pangolin spokesperson told us that the company was “working closely” with MCMC and the Dickheads NFT artist to address the matter.

The Dickheads NFT artist, who is based in Malaysia, told Tech in Asia that the project will be hosted on OpenSea, the world’s largest NFT marketplace, or SuperRare, an Ethereum-based digital art market.

The artist also alleged that MCMC suspended its Twitter account but MCMC told us that it did not submit such a request.

NFTs are neither digital currencies nor securities and are not regulated by the country’s financial regulators, including Bank Negara Malaysia and Securities Commission Malaysia. But MCMC’s powers include monitoring social media and censoring content deemed inappropriate, “which raises the issue of freedom of expression because in many ways an NFT is art,” a Kuala Lumpur-based artist tells us.

They add that this may not bode well for local NFT marketplaces as artists and issuers “will risk having their work censored by MCMC.”

The regulator’s move to censor Dickheads NFT is a first in Muslim-majority Malaysia, where its government as well as aristocracy adopt a conservative stance toward the freedom of expression.

Some Malaysian artists, such as Visithra Manikam, have successfully minted NFTs. She is believed to be Malaysia’s biggest-selling artist on OpenSea, with some of her work being purchased by rapper Snoop Dogg.

But projects such as artist Fahmi Reza’s Monyet Istana (Palace Monkey) NFT are expected to test the country’s censorship limits.

Fahmi, known for his satirical take on Malaysian affairs, will be minting the piece on Pentas.io, a local NFT marketplace. The money he raises from the sale will go to the Freedom of Expression Legal Defense Fund, which is managed by activists and lawyers.