KUALA LUMPUR: As 2025 begins, the Class Licence for Application Service Providers (CASP) for social media providers comes into effect in Malaysia on Wednesday (Jan 1).
Under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588), the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) mandated on July 27, 2024, that all social media and messaging services with at least eight million registered users in Malaysia must apply for a licence.
According to MCMC, failure to comply by the enforcement date constitutes an offence under Act 588 and may result in legal action.
As of Dec31, 2024, Telegram and Tencent (WeChat) were the only platforms that had submitted their licencing applications.
Earlier, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said the ministry would closely monitor compliance and take necessary action against providers failing to enforce mandated age restrictions.
On Dec 9, the Dewan Rakyat approved amendments to Act 588, revising Section 211(c). The amendments replaced the term "person” with "content application service provider” and raised the maximum fine from RM50,000 to RM1 million.
These amendments now apply exclusively to CASP licence holders, with penalties updated to reflect current needs. – Bernama
