After social media licence snub, Putrajaya says needs time to verify X’s claim that it has fewer than 8 million users here

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 8 — Meta Platforms Inc (Meta) is expected to receive its licence to operate in Malaysia soon, following three other internet messaging and social media service providers-Tencent (WeChat), ByteDance (TikTok), and Telegram.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said as of 5 pm yesterday, WeChat, TikTok, and Telegram had been granted licences, while Meta was in the process of submitting documents to address issues raised by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).

“I expect the process to proceed smoothly and orderly. So far, three have been licensed: WeChat, TikTok, and Telegram, while Meta is coming soon.

“The other two, Google (which operates YouTube) and X (formerly known as Twitter), are still in discussions with MCMC,” he said during a post-Cabinet meeting media conference today.

Meta operates Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp.

Tencent (WeChat) was the first internet messaging and social media service provider to receive the Application Service Provider Class Licence (ASP (C)) to operate in Malaysia, followed by ByteDance (TikTok) and Telegram.

Regarding X’s statement claiming its user base in Malaysia did not exceed eight million, Fahmi said MCMC required additional time to verify the claim.

“We need a bit of time to verify what they stated. I’ve asked MCMC to expedite the process, but we’ll give them some time,” he said.

He also clarified that YouTube was categorised as a social media application due to the presence of YouTube Shorts, which was similar to TikTok, incorporating sharing and commenting features.

“I’ve requested MCMC to continue discussions with YouTube and we’ve given them some time. For instance, on whether YouTube can clarify how many users are utilising Shorts…and whether they plan to spin off Shorts into a separate application in the near future, which involves technical considerations,” he said.

On LinkedIn, Fahmi said he had asked MCMC to examine whether the platform had more than eight million users in Malaysia and if it should also be classified as a social media platform.

Meanwhile, Fahmi assured that all social media operators remained accessible for actions to remove illegal content, such as online gambling advertisements, from their platforms.

“For instance, online gambling ads uploaded on YouTube. When illegal content is flagged, YouTube takes action, even though they are not yet licensed,” he added. — Bernama