Malaysia has officially licensed Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s TikTok to operate under a new social media regulation designed to address rising cybercrime. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced that while some platforms have complied,

Elon Musk’s X and Alphabet’s Google, which runs YouTube, have not yet applied for a social media licence under Malaysia’s new law, which took effect on Wednesday, Jan 1, according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the country’s internet regulator.

Four major internet messaging and social media service providers have taken significant steps towards regulatory compliance by applying for licences to

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) have announced that Tencent (WeChat) and ByteDance (TikTok) are the first platforms to successfully obtain the required Applications Service Provider Class (ASP(C)) licence under the new social media regulation.

In a statement today, MCMC said WeChat was the first to be granted the Class Licence for Application Service Providers (CASP), followed by TikTok. MCMC said Telegram and Meta – which oversees Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – have initiated the process of obtaining the licence, which is expected to be completed soon.

MCMC praised Telegram and WeChat for their commitment to comply with the social media licensing requirements. It urged others to apply to avoid further action.

The two Chinese technology companies had each obtained licenses under requirements for internet- messaging and social-media companies unveiled last year.

Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has granted licences to China-based Tencent's WeChat and ByteDance's TikTok to operate under a new social media law. This law, which became effective on 1 January 2025,

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced on Jan. 1 that the country’s social media operating license framework has