Malaysia Grants WeChat and TikTok Licences Under New Social Media Law

Malaysia's communications regulator has recently announced that it has granted licences to Tencent's WeChat and ByteDance's TikTok to operate in the country under a new social media law. The law, which aims to address the growing issue of cybercrime, mandates that social media platforms and messaging services with over 8 million users in Malaysia must obtain a licence or face legal consequences, effective from January 1.

Malaysia's communications regulator recently granted WeChat a license to operate under a new law aimed at tackling cybercrime

According to a statement by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, messaging platform Telegram is in the final stages of obtaining its licence, while Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, has initiated the licensing process. However, a platform referred to as "X" has not applied, claiming that its local user base does not meet the 8 million threshold. The regulator is currently assessing the validity of this claim.

Alphabet's Google, the operator of the video platform YouTube, has also not applied for a licence. The regulator mentioned that Google raised concerns about YouTube's video sharing features and its classification under the licensing law. While the specific concerns were not disclosed, the regulator emphasized that YouTube must comply with the regulations. Failure to do so could result in investigations and regulatory actions against non-compliant platform providers.

In response to a surge in harmful social media content earlier this year, Malaysian authorities have urged social media companies, including Meta and TikTok, to enhance their monitoring efforts on their platforms. Harmful content such as online gambling, scams, child pornography, grooming, cyberbullying, and content related to sensitive topics like race, religion, and royalty are of particular concern to the authorities.

Despite not disclosing user numbers per country, independent data provider World Population Review estimates that WeChat has around 12 million users in Malaysia. Advisory firm Kepios reported that YouTube had approximately 24.1 million users in Malaysia in early 2024, TikTok had 28.68 million users aged 18 and above, Facebook had 22.35 million users, and platform "X" had 5.71 million users.

Malaysia grants licences to WeChat and TikTok under new social media law
Other platforms like Telegram and Meta Platforms also in the licensing process
Google's YouTube raises concerns about licensing law compliance

Source: REUTERS