Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has granted licences to China-based Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s TikTok to operate under a new social media law.
This law, which became effective on 1 January 2025, aims to combat rising cybercrime by requiring platforms with more than eight million users in Malaysia to obtain a licence or face legal action.
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The licensing requirements focus on enhancing user protection, particularly for children and vulnerable groups, while improving regulatory oversight for service providers in Malaysia.
MCMC confirmed that WeChat has been granted the Applications Service Provider Class (ASP(C)) licence, ensuring compliance with the new regulations.
Telegram is said to be in the final stages of the licensing process and is expected to secure its licence soon.
Meanwhile, Meta has initiated the process of obtaining licences for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, which is anticipated to be completed shortly, according to MCMC.
However, both X (formerly Twitter) and Google, which operates YouTube, are yet to submit their applications.
According to X, its user base in the country has not reached the necessitated threshold.
The commission said: “Currently, MCMC is actively reviewing the validity of the user base as stated by X and will continue engagement sessions to assess X’s position.”
Regarding Google, MCMC pointed out issues related to YouTube’s video-sharing features and its classification under the Licensing Framework.
The commission is said to be deliberating on these issues to ensure YouTube and other relevant platforms adhere to the Licensing Framework now in force.
In 2024, ByteDance and Google announced plans to invest approximately $2.1bn and $2bn, respectively, to create an artificial intelligence (AI) hub and data centre in Malaysia.
