Everyone is aware of the implementation of a new law in Malaysia that requires social media operators to have an Application Service Provider Class License (ASP (C) effective January 1, 2025. Three providers, namely TikTok, Wechat and Telegram, have received license approval to operate in the country under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588). Meta is expected to receive the license soon.
In a statement, the Minister of Communications, Fahmi Fadzil said Meta had sent several documents to verify the matters raised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as of 5 pm yesterday. He also expected the process to go smoothly and orderly where Meta is expected to receive the license soon. Meanwhile, two other providers, namely Google and X, are still in discussions with the MCMC.
Commenting further on X's statement claiming that the number of its users in Malaysia did not reach 8 million people, Fahmi said that the MCMC still needs some time to make the verification. Apart from also explaining that YouTube is categorized as a social media application because of the existence of YouTube Shorts which is similar to TikTok. LinkedIn is also said to be still under investigation as to whether it really has more than 8 million users in Malaysia or otherwise.