Telegram and WeChat seek licences to operate in Malaysia ahead of new regulations

KUALA LUMPUR: Telegram and Tencent’s WeChat have begun the process of obtaining the requisite licence to operate their platforms in Malaysia next year, according to regulator Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), reported Bloomberg.

Both platforms are expected to meet the necessary requirements to continue operating in Malaysia, said the MCMC in a statement on Thursday. The licence, aimed at enhancing online safety, user protection, and regulatory oversight for internet messaging service and social media service providers, will be effective January 1, it added.

The commission called in all service providers that meet the licencing conditions to submit their applications before the December 31 deadline. Failing to do so may result in regulatory action, it warned.

Communications Ministers Fahmi Fadzil had previously identified Meta Platforms Inc.’s WhatsApp, ByteDance Limited’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X as among the platforms that would need the licence. They had met the government’s threshold of at least eight million users in Malaysia.

Malaysia joins efforts by governments across Asia to clamp down on online platforms and hold Big Tech firms accountable for illegal content. From Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi and Canberra, officials are increasingly looking for ways to regulate or curtail social media, which can sway public opinion on politically sensitive issues.