KUALA LUMPUR: Tencent, known for its messaging application WeChat, and ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, are the first two social media providers to have obtained licences to operate in Malaysia, regulators said.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), in a statement, also said Telegram is in the final stages of the licensing process.
"Tencent (WeChat) has been granted the Applications Service Provider Class (ASP(C)) licence, making it the first Service Provider to be licensed under the licensing requirements for Internet messaging service and social media service providers.
"Following WeChat, ByteDance (TikTok) successfully obtained their licence.
"Telegram, meanwhile, is in the final stages of the licensing process and is expected to secure its licence soon," the statement said.
The commission also said Meta - the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp - has initiated the licensing process, which is expected to be completed soon.
However, MCMC said X (formerly Twitter) and Google, the operator of YouTube, had yet to submit their applications.
X cited its user base, which is below the eight million threshold requirement, as the reason for the delay, a claim currently under review, the commission said.
"For Google, questions surrounding YouTube's video-sharing features and their classification under the Licensing Framework remain under discussion," it said.
MCMC said providers that fail to meet licensing requirements could face investigations and regulatory action under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
The regulator commended platforms like WeChat and TikTok's proactive compliance efforts in fostering a safer online environment for Malaysians, particularly children and vulnerable groups.
On Dec 26, it was reported that social media platforms Telegram and Tencent (WeChat) had begun the process of obtaining the required licence to operate their platforms in the country.
Previously, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the government had identified eight social media and online messaging platforms that would require a licence under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
He said the platforms are 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.
He said they had met the threshold of at least eight million users in the country, adding that they were not being specifically targeted.