KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s communications regulator said it awarded Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s TikTok licenses to operate in the nation under a new social media law, but several other platforms did not apply.
The rule, intended at combating escalating cybercrime, compels social media sites and messaging services in Malaysia that have more than 8 million users to get a license or face legal consequences. It went into effect on January 1.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission stated on Wednesday that messaging network Telegram was in the final stages of getting a licence, while Meta Platforms (META.O), which owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, had initiated the licensing process.
The regulator stated that X did not submit an application since the platform’s local user base did not meet the 8 million criterion. The regulator stated that it was evaluating the veracity of X’s claim.
The regulator also stated that Alphabet’s Google, which controls the video platform YouTube, had not applied for a licence after raising concerns about YouTube’s video sharing capabilities and its categorization under the licensing rules. It did not specify the issues or how they relate to the legislation, but it did say YouTube must comply.
“Platform providers found to be in violation of licensing requirements may be subject to investigation and regulatory actions,” stated the agency’s statement.
Malaysia reported a significant spike in dangerous social media material in early 2024 and encouraged social media companies, particularly Meta and the short video site TikTok, to improve platform monitoring.
Malaysian authorities regard internet gambling, frauds, child pornography and grooming, cyberbullying, and anything pertaining to race, religion, and royalty as detrimental.
The firms do not disclose the number of users per nation on their platforms.
According to independent statistics provider World Population Review, there are 12 million WeChat users in Malaysia.
According to advisory company Kepios, YouTube had around 24.1 million users in Malaysia as of early 2024, TikTok had 28.68 million users aged 18 and above, Facebook had 22.35 million users, and X had 5.71 million.
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