KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 (Reuters) - An Asian industry group

that includes Google, Meta and X has called

on the Malaysian government to pause a plan that will require

social media services to apply for a license, citing a lack of

clarity over the proposed regulations.

In July, Malaysia's communications regulator said social

media platforms with more than eight million users in the

country would be required to apply for a license from this month

as part of a drive to combat cybercrime.

Legal action could be taken against the platforms if they

failed to do so by Jan. 1, 2025, the regulator said.

In an open letter dated Friday and addressed to Malaysian

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC)

- whose members also include Apple Inc ( AAPL ), Amazon ( AMZN )

and Grab - said the proposed licensing regime was

"unworkable" for the industry and could stifle innovation by

placing undue burdens on businesses.

The group said there had been no formal public consultations

on the plan, leading to industry uncertainty regarding the scope

of obligations to be imposed on social media platforms.

"No platform can be expected to register under these

conditions," AIC Managing Director Jeff Paine wrote in the

letter posted on the group's website.

Malaysia's communications ministry declined to comment on

the letter. The prime minister's office did not respond to a

request for comment.

The AIC also expressed concern that the proposed regulations

could hamper Malaysia's growing digital economy, which has

attracted significant investments this year.

The group said it shared the government's commitment to

addressing online harms, but the proposed implementation

timeline left the industry with insufficient clarity and time to

assess its implications.

The government reported a sharp increase in harmful social

media content earlier this year and urged social media firms,

including Meta and short video platform TikTok, to

step up monitoring on their platforms.