PUTRAJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) will conduct a public inquiry on the proposed licensing requirements for social media and internet messaging service providers.
In a statement today, MCMC announced that the inquiry aims to ensure the final framework is fair, effective, and meets the needs of both the industry and the public.
It added since the Cabinet approved the framework on March 8, engagements with a broad spectrum of stakeholders including service providers, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations and law enforcement agencies have also been held.
“These ongoing engagements have been vital in developing a regulatory framework that addresses the needs and concerns of all parties,“ it said.
MCMC said the licensing requirement for social media and internet messaging service providers with at least eight million registered users was introduced as a key step towards a safer online environment, including in addressing issues of online gambling, scams, and pornography.
“The regulatory framework was designed to ensure the online ecosystem remains open, secure, and trustworthy for all users while encouraging innovation and investment.
“…The formulated class licence application threshold applies to the service providers and the end users require no registration,” it said.
MCMC said a five-month grace period had been provided for all platforms to comply with the licensing requirements. It will actively engage with service providers to facilitate the smooth transition into the framework by Jan 1, next year.
“Considering this, MCMC urges service providers to make every effort to ensure their operations align with local laws and regulations,“ it added.
In a similar development, the MCMC today reprimanded an industry group, Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), for claiming it represented several tech companies listed in its letter to the Prime Minister calling for a ‘pause’ in the implementation of the social media and internet messaging licensing.
The regulatory body noted that the letter had been updated two times with multiple company logos priviously included in the first version but omitted in the revised version.
The MCMC was responding to the fact that Grab Malaysia denied it was consulted prior to the issuance of the letter by AIC.
In view of this development, the MCMC had asked AIC to prove it had authorisation from the involved companies when issuing the letter, dated Aug 23, and signed by its managing director Jeff Paine.
“Kindly provide MCMC with this authorisation on an immediate basis so that we may understand more fully the subsequent developments that through this letter, we find difficulty to comprehend,“ said the MCMC in a letter addressed to the AIC today.
The MCMC also denied allegations that AIC was not consulted in relation to the licensing framework as the regulatory body’s record shows that the AIC has been duly engaged with an engagement session held on May 28.
It reiterated that service providers have a legal responsibility to protect its users and ensure its users comply with Malaysian law when operating in the Malaysian sovereign digital space and stated that there are no reasons for why licensing requirements and the operations of businesses could not coexist for the benefit of the people.
