Grab Malaysia distances itself from Asia Internet Coalition's open letter to PM

Tuesday 22 Oct 2024

KUALA LUMPUR (Aug 26): Grab Malaysia has clarified that it was not informed or consulted about the recent open letter addressed to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim by the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) concerning a proposed regulatory framework for social media and instant messaging platforms.

Stressing that the proposed regulation does not impact its operations, Grab said in a statement on Monday: "Therefore we had no part in it. We did not and are not commenting on the matter."

The statement was issued following a new report by Reuters on the AIC's open letter earlier on Monday. The report stated that the industry group's members included Grab.

Grab, however, distanced itself from the AIC's position.

It emphasised that the company remained committed to collaborating with the Malaysian government, "reflecting our mission to contribute to the country's development".

In July, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission announced that social media platforms with more than eight million users in the country would be required to apply for a licence from this month as part of a drive to combat cybercrime.

Legal action could be taken against the platforms if they failed to do so by Jan 1, 2025, the regulator said.

In the open letter to Anwar dated on Friday, the AIC said the proposed licensing regime was "unworkable" for the industry and could stifle innovation by placing undue burdens on businesses.

The group said there had been no formal public consultations on the plan, leading to industry uncertainty regarding the scope of obligations to be imposed on social media platforms.

"No platform can be expected to register under these conditions," AIC managing director Jeff Paine wrote in the letter posted on the group's website.

Edited ByS Kanagaraju

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