Malaysia orders Facebook, TikTok, X, Telegram and others to obtain licences in 2025

Joshua Fagbemi
NITDA releases code of practice for online platforms

The Malaysian Government has announced that social media and online messaging platforms will be required to obtain a license in 2025. The development is coming amidst the country’s effort to combat the rising number of cybercrime cases which includes gambling, online fraud, cyberbullying, and sexual crimes against children.

As part of its plan to regulate the online media industry in the country, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will mandate eight media platforms to obtain official regulatory approval.

MCMC earlier in July announced that social media platforms with over eight million users in Malaysia must apply for a license as part of efforts to combat cybercrime. The move was faced with resistance from social media platforms and they applied for a pause in its implementation. They cited reasons for the lack of clarity in the proposal.

Malaysia's Commission Minister
Malaysia’s Commission Minister, Fahmi Fadzil

According to the commission’s minister, Fahmi Fadzil in an interview with a Malaysian newspaper on Friday, the eight platforms required to obtain licences include Meta Platforms Inc.’s WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, Elon Musk’s X, Google’s YouTube, Pavel Durov’s Telegram, Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat, and ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok.

From next year, any major messaging and social media service provider operating without a license from the government will face legal action,” he said.

The minister added that some platforms have started pushing back with concerns over the stifling innovation and the challenges of establishing a local office as part of the regulatory requirement. Fahmi then pointed out that the government is standing firm in its decision.

The platforms had met the threshold of at least eight million users in Malaysia and were not being specifically targeted. Given the profits these platforms made and the significance of the Malaysian market, they should comply with local laws. For example, Meta earned about 2.5 billion ringgit ($554 million) annually from the Malaysian market through advertising,” the minister added.

According to reports, the ministry is currently engaging with the platforms for better clarification of the license and its significance. 

Malaysia’s code of conduct

While it seeks to strengthen the fight against social media crimes, MCMC published a code of conduct on Friday aimed at ensuring that internet messaging and social media service providers uphold online safety and security, especially for children and vulnerable groups.

The document tagged “harmful content” as any content that incites hate speech or is used to bully others and content that can incite violence, extremism, or terrorism, among others. For monitoring, service providers will be required to submit half-yearly online safety reports to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

MCMC, in a statement, said that the code of conduct was developed to support the regulatory framework for service providers. This sets out best practices for adoption by them to address harmful content and other relevant conduct requirements.

Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission
Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) building

“The commission will provide guidance in the adoption of the Code of Conduct (Best Practice) to ensure its effectiveness in maintaining a safe and secure online environment,” it added.

The commission said that the code of conduct will be reviewed from time to time as appropriate. This is to ensure it remains relevant and effective in addressing challenges it was designed to combat and emerging ones.

Meanwhile, the publication of the Code of Conduct for internet messaging service providers and social media service providers follows the publication of the public consultation report concerning the code on Wednesday. 

“The commission appreciates the valuable feedback received during the public consultation process. The input from the public helped to ensure that the Code of Conduct (Best Practice) reflects the evolving challenges in the online environment while promoting a safer, more secure space for all Malaysians,” the commission said.

The publication of the code also follows the passage of the Communications and Multimedia (Amendment) Bill 2024 in Dewan Rakyat a week ago. The bill passed with a slim majority of 19 votes, came after the opposition party called for a bloc vote. 

In addition, civil society groups in Malaysia have raised concerns about the code of conduct’s amendments, fearing it could infringe on rights related to freedom of expression and privacy.

In October, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching had earlier clarified that the government does not intend to mandate identity verification for social media users. Despite the plan to require social media platforms to apply for a license by Jan 1, 2025, she said that enforcing such a requirement would be difficult considering that online service providers currently do not ask users to verify their identities with documents.

2024's most popular apps: Instagram leads, TikTok follows, ChatGPT missing

Amidst the regulatory roll-out in Malaysia as part of the fight to conduct social media platforms, TikTok, one of the eight platforms identified, announced its decision to place new wide-ranging restrictions on the use of beauty filters on the platform last month. The social media company which boasts billions of users, most of them young people, announced the changes during a safety forum at its European headquarters in Dublin.

According to the company, there have been widespread concerns that these beauty filters have resulted in pressure on teenagers, particularly girls, to adopt a polished physical appearance with negative emotional repercussions. For instance, some young people have noted that after using filters they found their real faces ugly.

The beauty filter restriction for teenage users was introduced when the world was debating the appropriateness of having teens below the age of 16 on social media networks, though the debate is still on. In the United Kingdom, lawmakers are proposing tougher regulation of underage social media use under the Online Safety Act. The law would compel social media companies to ban users under the said age from their platforms. 

Similarly, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also announced that a law to ban children under 16 from social media is in the works. Although the bill would need to be passed by the House, it has however clearly stated the age limit and pointed out that the responsibility would be on the social media platforms to enforce the law.

Read More: TikTok to ban teenagers from using beauty filters over mental health concerns.


Technext Newsletter

Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!

Register for Technext Coinference 2023, the Largest blockchain and DeFi Gathering in Africa.

Technext Newsletter

Get the best of Africa’s daily tech to your inbox – first thing every morning.
Join the community now!