New rules on social media in Malaysia have come into effect to curb cybercrime
Malaysia's communications regulator said it has granted wechat and TikTok licenses to operate in the country under a new social media law.
Malaysia's Social Media Law, which is aimed at combating rising cybercrime, requires social media platforms and information service providers with more than 8 million users in Malaysia to be licensed or face legal action, which came into effect on January 1, 2025.
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) said in a statement that messaging platform Telegram is in the final stages of obtaining a license, while Meta, which owns platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has started the process of obtaining a license. It is expected that the relevant procedures will be completed soon.
MCMC also said social platform X did not submit a licence application because it said its local user base in Malaysia did not reach the 8 million threshold. MCMC said it was reviewing the veracity of Platform X's claims. In addition, Alphabet, the parent company of video platform YouTube, has not applied for a license. The MCMC said the YouTube platform must comply with the relevant provisions of the social media law and "any platform found to be in breach of licensing requirements will be investigated and regulated."