As part of a new initiative to combat the increasing amount of cybercrime offences as well as cyberbullying cases, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) have drafted a new directive requiring all social media and internet media services which fall under a certain criteria, to be required to register for a license. 

In a statement made today, MCMC have announced that this new regulation has been laid out as per the Malaysian Cabinets decision. The cabinet stated that platforms such as Facebook & Instagram, as well as messaging apps such as WeChat or WhatsApp, must comply with the laws of the country which in turn may help combat the rise of cybercrime offences including scams, online fraud, cyberbullying, as well as sexual crimes against minors.

"This measure will create a safer online ecosystem and a better user experience, especially for children and families," they stated.

MCMC announced that such services that amount to at least eight million users, must apply for a Class License for Application Service Providers under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 (Act 588) and will be introduced on August 1st, with enforcement starting on January 1st 2025.

In the event they fail to comply with this decision will be deemed as an offence under Act 588 and will be punishable by law.

"Failure to obtain a licence after the effective date will be an offence and appropriate legal action can be taken under the Act,"

Previously, MCMC said that based on the Communications and Multimedia (Licensing) (Exemption) Order 2000, these services would be exempted from licensing requirements. However, after the rise of cybercrime cases, reevaluation was necessary to protect the publics interest and wellbeing. 

While MCMC has not stated the penalty of the offence, they assured that this framework will only be applied to services and that their users will not be affected, allowing them to be able to browse the platforms peacefully.