KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 2 - Malaysia's communications

regulator said it granted Tencent's WeChat and ByteDance's

TikTok licences to operate in the country under a new social

media law, but that some other platforms had not applied.

The law, aimed at tackling rising cybercrime, requires

social media platforms and messaging services with more than 8

million users in Malaysia to obtain a licence or face legal

action. It came into effect on Jan. 1.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Malaysian Communications

and Multimedia Commission said messaging platform Telegram was

in the final stages of obtaining its licence, while Meta

Platforms ( META ), which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp,

had begun the licensing process.

The regulator said X had not submitted an application

because the platform said its local user base did not reach the

8 million threshold. The regulator said it was reviewing the

validity of X's claim.

Alphabet's Google, which operates video platform YouTube,

had also not applied for a licence after raising concerns about

the video sharing features of YouTube and its classification

under the licensing law, the regulator said. It did not state

the concerns or how they relate to the law but said YouTube must

adhere.

"Platform providers found to be in violation of licensing

requirements may be subject to investigation and regulatory

actions," the regulator said.

Malaysia reported a sharp increase in harmful social media

content in early 2024 and urged social media firms, including

Meta and short video platform TikTok, to step up monitoring of

their platforms.

Malaysian authorities deem online gambling, scams, child

pornography and grooming, cyberbullying and content related to

race, religion and royalty as harmful.

The companies do not publish the number of users per

country on their platforms.

According to independent data provider World Population

Review, WeChat has 12 million users in Malaysia.

Advisory firm Kepios said YouTube had about 24.1 million

users in Malaysia in early 2024, TikTok 28.68 million users aged

18 and above, Facebook 22.35 million users, and X had 5.71

million.