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Malaysia to require social media licences by Jan. 1

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Meta says lack of clarity on licencing could impact

innovation

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Meta says undecided if it will apply for licencing by

deadline

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Malaysia says social media platforms must step up

monitoring

By Danial Azhar

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 - A Meta Platforms ( META )

official on Wednesday criticised Malaysia's plan to require

social media platforms to apply for a regulatory licence by

January, saying the proposal lacked clear guidelines and gave

social companies little time to comply, risking digital

innovation and growth in the country.

Malaysia said in July it will require social media platforms

and messaging services with more than eight million users to

obtain a licence, as part of efforts to curb financial scams,

cyberbullying and sexual crimes online.

The companies could face legal action if they failed to do

so by Jan. 1, 2025.

The plan has faced a backlash, with an Asian industry group

that includes Meta urging the government in August to pause the

move. Malaysia however has said it will not delay the proposed

regulations, with Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil saying

tech companies must comply with local laws to continue operating

the country.

Meta's director of public policy for Southeast Asia Rafael

Frankel said the firm has not yet decided if it plans to apply

for the licence ahead of the January deadline, due to a lack of

clarity over the new regulations.

The timeline to apply for a licence was "exceptionally

accelerated" and the obligations for social media firms under

the plan remained unclear, Frankel said in an interview with

Reuters.

"These regulations tend to take a couple years to go through

multiple iterations... to properly structure them and to balance

the need for safety and ensure that you don't inadvertently cap

innovation and digital economic growth," he said.

Malaysia's communications ministry did not immediately

respond to a request for comment on the interview.

In a Facebook post on Wednesday following a meeting with

Meta representatives a day earlier, communications minister

Fahmi thanked the company for its willingness to cooperate with

the government but urged it to take more proactive measures

against sexual content involving minors on its platforms.

Frankel said Meta shared the Malaysian government's goal for

a safe online environment and was working closely with the

communications regulator to remove or restrict harmful content

from its platforms.

"We don't need a licencing regime in order to take online

safety seriously. We already take it seriously," he said.

Meta has shared its concerns with the government and hopes

to "bridge the differences" over the proposed regulations before

they are implemented, Frankel added, without providing

details.

Malaysian authorities deem online gambling, scams, child

pornography and grooming, cyberbullying and content related to

race, religion and royalty as harmful.

Malaysia reported a sharp increase in harmful social media

content earlier this year and urged social media firms,

including Facebook parent Meta and short video platform TikTok

(8645.HK), to step up monitoring on their platforms.