'Social media licensing process direct,' says Fahmi

The licensing process for social media companies to operate in Malaysia will be direct and simple, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil reportedly said. 

Fahmi said that the license is a 'Class Licence' and that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had informed him that the process would take three to five working days, according to local reports such as The Star. 

This is unlike the 'Individual Licence' which will take several months to process, Fahmi said. 

Don't miss: TikTok pushes back against MY govt's social media licensing plans 

As such, the ministry is expecting to receive licensing applications from social media platform operators in October or November this year. 

The minister said that the MCMC has been actively conducting engagement sessions with relevant parties such as social media platform providers, non-governmental organisations and academics to develop the code of conduct guideline.

Meanwhile, when asked about the ban on the use of Telegram among civil servants in the Netherlands, Fahmi said that no decision has been made by the government. 

The minister also reportedly said that the government has not issued any directive, adding that issues related to the security of civil servants were typically handled by the Office of the Chief Government Security Officer of Malaysia (CGSO).  

This comes as the Amsterdam City Council reportedly urged members and senior staff of the Dutch Cabinet to stop using Telegram. This is due to concerns over criminal activities within the app and the risk of espionage, reported Bernama. 

Earlier this week, Fahmi said that a special task force will be established to discuss aspects of social media regulation and enforcement. 

The task force would reportedly include the communications ministry, the home ministry, the legal affairs division of the prime minister's department, and the attorney-general's chambers. 

The minister added that the decision comes after a meeting with home minister Saifuddin Nasution Ismail and the Malaysian communications and multimedia commission (MCMC) chairman Mohamad Salim Fateh Din. 

Related articles:  
Industry experts on what it will take for a Malaysian social media app to fly 
Social media providers without valid licence may face fines, jail, warns Fahmi  
Social media providers may be ok with the new social media regulations, but what about agencies?