KUALA LUMPUR (Jan 1): Tencent, ByteDance, Telegram and Meta are four major Internet messaging and social media service providers that have taken steps to apply for a licence to operate in Malaysia, according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
This leaves X, formerly known as Twitter, and Google, that are yet to submit their applications to the regulator.
In a statement on Wednesday, the MCMC said it will assess the status of platform providers that have yet to obtain the required licences and consider the appropriate actions under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. "Platform providers found to be in violation of licensing requirements may be subject to investigation and regulatory actions."
It noted that Tencent (WeChat) has been granted the applications service provider class or 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 its licence.
"Telegram, meanwhile, is in the final stages of the licensing process, and is expected to secure its licence soon. Meta, which oversees Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has initiated the process of obtaining the licences to operate the platforms in the country, which is also expected to be completed soon," the commission added.
The MCMC said that according to X, its user base in Malaysia has not reached the required threshold of eight million users. Therefore, the commission is actively reviewing the validity of the user base as stated by X, and will continue engagement sessions to assess X's position.
"As for Google, there were issues raised on the video sharing features of YouTube and its classification under the licensing framework. The MCMC has deliberated on the issues raised, and will ensure YouTube as well as all relevant platform providers meeting the licensing criteria are bound by their duties and responsibilities to adhere to the licensing framework, which is now in force," the commission added.