Under the new law, Malaysia authorizes WeChat and TikTok to function.

Under the new law, Malaysia licenses WeChat and TikTok to operate. Social media sites and messaging services with more than 8 million members in Malaysia are required by law to obtain a license or risk legal action, which was created to address the growing problem of cybercrime.KUALA LUMPUR: According to Malaysia's communications regulator, while several other platforms had not registered, Tencent's WeChat and ByteDance's TikTok were granted licenses to operate in the nation under a new social media law.In an effort to combat the growing problem of cybercrime, the law mandates that messaging services and social media platforms with over 8 million users in Malaysia obtain a license or risk legal action. It became operative on January 1.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission stated in a statement on Wednesday that Meta Platforms, the company that owns Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, had started the licensing procedure, while messaging app Telegram was nearing the end of the licensing process.Because the platform claimed that its local user base fell short of the 8 million criterion, the regulator stated that X had not filed an application. The regulator stated that it was examining whether X's claim was legitimate. After voicing concerns regarding YouTube's video sharing capabilities and its classification under the licensing rules, Alphabet's Google, the company that runs the video site YouTube, also declined to apply for a license, the regulator said. It stated that YouTube must comply but did not specify the issues or how they relate to the legislation. "Platform providers found to be in violation of licensing requirements may be subject to investigation and regulatory actions," the agency stated. Early in 2024, Malaysia observed a significant rise in hazardous social media content and encouraged