Fahmi: Telegram third with provider licence after WeChat and TikTok, while Google refuses to view YouTube as social media

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 6 — Service provider, Telegram has been granted an Application Service Provider (ASP) C Licence to operate in Malaysia, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

He said Telegram successfully obtained a licence from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) on Jan 2, making it the third service provider to be licensed under the licensing requirements for Internet messaging and social media service providers.

“Meta, which operates Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, is currently still in the process of submitting several documents before obtaining a licence.

“But we expect the process to be completed in the near future,” he said at a press conference after witnessing the exchange of documents for the Melaka Digital Village Initiative (KDM) agreement between MCMC and the Melaka Government, here today.

Also present were Melaka Chief Minister Datuk Seri Ab Rauf Yusoh, Communications Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa, MCMC chairman Tan Sri Mohamad Salim Fateh Din and State Secretary Datuk Azhar Arshad.

Tencent (WeChat) became the first Internet messaging and social media service provider to receive ASP (C) followed by ByteDance (TikTok).

Fahmi said that for Google’s licensing, he had asked MCMC to continue its engagement and informed that action would continue if there were matters that violated communications laws.

“For example, such as scam and deepfake videos or online gambling played on YouTube, action can be taken against non-compliance and violations of laws in our country.

“The law is still in force and we are just continuing discussions because Youtube, they have a view that they are not social media, but if we look at ‘YouTube Shorts’, the elements in ‘YouTube Shorts’ are similar to TikTok and this is one of the things that is being discussed and it will take some time,” he said.

For the X platform, (previously Twitter), he said MCMC was still managing the matter and needed some time as the platform had previously announced that its number of users in the country had not reached the threshold of eight million users.

Meanwhile, commenting on the event, Fahmi said the Melaka Digital Village was the first initiative in Malaysia to use of QR codes to modernise the home address system in 623 traditional villages in the state and improve the quality of access to data for people’s services.

He said the initiative carried out with MCMC would not only have a positive impact on Melaka but was also expected to be a model for other states in developing a more inclusive and competitive digital ecosystem. — Bernama