KUALA LUMPUR: The Communications Ministry has urged social media and online messaging platforms to apply for an Applications Service Provider Class Licence under the Communications and Multimedia Act by Jan 1.
Deputy Minister Teo Nie Ching expressed appreciation for Tencent (WeChat) and Telegram for complying with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) regulations.
"We hope other platforms will follow suit, as those operating in Malaysia and generating revenue must respect local laws," she said in a press conference today.
Teo added that platforms generating income through ads or product promotions in Malaysia must comply with the country's legal framework.
Yesterday, MCMC confirmed that Telegram and Tencent (WeChat) have begun the licensing process to operate in Malaysia.
This licensing requirement, effective Jan 1, aims to improve online safety, user protection, and regulatory oversight for messaging and social media service providers.
Previously, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said that eight platforms, including Meta's WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram, Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter), Google's YouTube, Pavel Durov's Telegram, Tencent's WeChat, and ByteDance's TikTok, must obtain a licence.
Fahmi said these platforms had met the threshold of at least 8 million users in the country, and that they were not being specifically targeted.