This issue is not a new thing, but this time, it turned out to be something of a big deal.
Not so sweet ending
Over the years, 'dating' website (if you could even call it that) Sugarbook has been in the limelight for all the reasons.From putting up suggestive billboards to throwing lavish speed dating events with beauty queens, Sugarbook has always managed to skirt around the authorities.
But, as they say, clever clever squirrel jump, Sugarbook has fallen to the ground.
The Malaysian Communications And Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has officially banned the sugar baby website.
As of 9am on Tuesday (16 February), the Sugarbook website is no longer accessible:
If you try to access Sugarbook.com, you will be directed to a notice that states that the website is no longer accessible because it violates a National Law.
The National Law in question is Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (CMA 1998), which covers the improper use of network facilities or network service.
Section 233 carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or a jail term not exceeding one year or both.
Despite the website being blocked in Malaysia, Malaysians can still access Sugarbook via its app on the Google PlayStore (they currently do not have an app on the Apple App Store) or by simpling using a VPN.
According to a press release posted on the MCMC Facebook page on Monday (15 February), the Commission, as well as the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), will be closely monitoring the website's activities.
The MCMC has also warned Malaysians to be wary of potential love scams that could result from dating sites such as Sugarbook.
The beginning of the downfall
The whole drama started when a fellow sugar baby/daddy dating site Seeking released a statement claiming that Malaysia is home to more than 43,000 sugar daddies.That put us in third place in a list of the most sugar daddies in a ASEAN country, behind India and Indonesia, home to 338,000 and 60,250 sugar daddies respectively.
Sugarbook then decided to get in on the fun by publishing "survey results" showing that over 12,000 students from higher learning institutions in Malaysia were registered with the app.
They also went as far as pinpointing which local universities had the highest number of sugar babies, prompting one of the universities to release a statement condemning the website.
Another university then decided to lodge a police report, prompting the police to start investigations on Sugarbook, The Star Online reported.
Bukit Aman CID director Comm Datuk Huzir Mohamed told the news portal that the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Atipsom) unit (D3) and the anti-vice, gambling and secret societies division (D7) would lead the investigations.
"We are investigating under Section 505(b) of the Penal Code for making statements that lead to public alarm and distress as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities," he was quoted as saying.
Huzir added that the authorities are also conducting an investigation under Section 372 of the Penal Code for prostitution.
Yup, you can say that Sugarbook is in very hot soup just because they can't keep their mouth shut.
If you want to know more about Sugarbook and sugar babies/daddies, check out our write up here.
You can also check out this interview we did with a sugar baby back in 2017: