CYBERJAYA: Social media giant Meta has submitted documents to secure an Application Service Provider (ASP) Class Licence in Malaysia, while discussions are still ongoing for Google and Microsoft, says Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said this at the launch of a new fact-checking chatbot AIFA on Tuesday (Jan 28) here at the Malaysian Multimedia and Communications Commission (MCMC) headquarters.
“As of yesterday (Jan 27), Meta has sent over a number of documents. We will process them, and we expect that within a reasonable timeframe, we will license Meta. As for the others, the process will remain the same as before,” said Fahmi
“Regarding Google and Microsoft, who manage LinkedIn and X, there are several matters being followed up on by MCMC.
“Each party has its own perspective, and I believe we need to take action. We will not delay taking the necessary steps for too long,” Fahmi.
Prior to this, Google had argued that it was not a social media platform but the ministry maintains that certain parts of its YouTube platform, such as YouTube Shorts, function like social media, similar to TikTok.
Meanwhile, X has claimed to have less than eight million users in Malaysia, which exempts it from the licensing requirement.
As of today, three platforms have received their ASP licences: WeChat, TikTok, and Telegram.
A newly introduced regulatory requirement aims to tackle rising cybercrime, requiring social media platforms and messaging services with over eight million users in the country to obtain a licence or face legal action.
This requirement came into effect on Jan 1 of this year.
