The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) announced Wednesday that the country's operating license system for social media platforms has come into effect.

The MCMC said WeChat and TikTok had met the Dec. 31 deadline for obtaining operating licenses, while Telegram's application was in the final stages.

In addition, Meta Platforms, which owns WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, has started the process of applying for permits, which is "expected to be completed soon."

The agency said Elon Musk's social media platform X believes it has not reached the 8 million user threshold in Malaysia, "We are actively reviewing the validity of X's claimed user numbers and will continue to engage to assess X's position."

In early 2024, X reported having 5.71 million users in Malaysia.

Meanwhile, YouTube owner Google asked the MCMC questions about the platform's video-sharing features in relation to its categorization under the licensing framework.

The MCMC responded that it had considered the issues raised by Google and "will ensure that YouTube, and all relevant platform providers that meet the licensing criteria, have the obligation and responsibility to comply with the provisions of the licensing framework."

The regulator announced in July last year that in order to combat cyberbullying and disinformation, all social media and Internet information service platforms with more than 8 million registered users in Malaysia, were required to apply for an application operating license from the government between Aug 1 and Dec 31, 2024, or else they would not be allowed to continue operating in the country from Jan 1, 2025.