KUALA LUMPUR: There are no current plans to introduce mandatory identity verification for users of social media and messaging applications, says Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching.
She said that platforms like Facebook do not currently require identity verification through documents for their users.
"If these platforms don't mandate identity verification, it's challenging for the government to enforce such a requirement.
However, it might be considered when annual licensing for these services occurs, and we could include it in the code of practice," she said during a Parliament Q&A session on Monday (Oct 21).
She said that while the EU and Singapore already have Codes of Practice for social media, the UK is in the process of establishing one.
"Implementing identity checks necessitates comprehensive dialogue with local stakeholders," Teo added.
Her comments were in response to a question from Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong (Barisan-Ayer Hitam), who inquired about potential regulations for compulsory social media user identity verification.
Dr Wee also referenced the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) policy that only requires platforms with over eight million users to seek annual licensing.
He had asked about the government's regulatory intentions for apps with fewer than eight million users, given the rapid proliferation of social media applications.
Teo explained that the eight million user threshold was set after considering the policies of the UK and India, which have thresholds of five and six million users for social media licensing respectively.
"Cybercrimes are more frequent on popular platforms, which is why we're focusing on those with over eight million users. We will assess the effectiveness of this approach next year," she said.
The new regulatory framework for social media and messaging apps was officially announced on August 1 and will come into effect on January 1 next year.
The MCMC recently made it clear that all social media and messaging platforms with a minimum of eight million registered users in Malaysia must apply for a Class License from August 1.
Failing to secure this Class License for Application Service Providers under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 post-enforcement date will be considered an offence.
