Social media platform providers are urged to register their respective service licenses immediately ahead of the enforcement of the Application Service Provider Class License which will come into effect from 1 Jan 2025. Deputy Minister of Communications Teo Nie Ching said the deadline for submitting applications is 31 December, which is just four days away.
As we reported yesterday, so far only Telegram and WeChat have begun the licensing process required to operate in Malaysia. Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil has already said that eight social media platforms, namely WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, Telegram, WeChat, and TikTok, need to apply for licenses as they have at least 8 million users in Malaysia.
With their operational offices already closed for the Christmas and New Year holidays, it is difficult to see the remaining six platforms above applying for licenses before the end of 2024. In addition to applying for licenses, all eight platforms need to have operational offices in Malaysia to facilitate dealings with the government.
Previously, Fahmi Fadzil reminded that the licensing requirement aims to ensure that service providers are responsible, as well as play an important role in creating a safer digital platform for users, especially children and families. This implementation is also aimed at tackling online crime without stifling innovation and is said not to affect users.
If the Ministry of Communications fails to obtain a license, there are no plans to block access to the eight social media at this time.