Malaysia to review minimum user threshold for mandatory social media licensing after X's Grok issue

Malaysia’s Ministry of Communications is reviewing the current user threshold for mandatory social media licensing due to rising challenges around artificial intelligence (AI) content and platform accountability.

Since 1st January 2026, internet messaging and social media platforms with at least 8 million Malaysians have been deemed automatically licensed as Application Service Providers (ASP(C)) under Section 46A of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

This means large social media platforms are regulated in the same way as licensed operators regardless of whether they first applied for a licence which was initially made mandatory in 2025. The Deeming Provision was introduced as there were only three platforms (TikTok, WeChat and Telegram) that obtained the required licence to operate in Malaysia.

More platforms to be held accountable with lower user threshold?

Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said the government is now evaluating whether the current 8 million user threshold is still appropriate given recent incidents involving Grok’s AI-generated harmful and obscene content.

Malaysia has recently imposed a restriction on X’s AI chatbot after the platform failed to take sufficient measures to safeguard users from online harm.

Fahmi said, they are in the process of looking at reviewing the current policies and regulations for social media as platforms such as TikTok and Facebook have gotten very popular. However, the issue right now is with Grok’s AI that has been used to generate harmful and sexually explicit content, which led them to review the threshold.

The Minister said he would leave it to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to study the appropriate limits and to decide on necessary action that’s required. Earlier this week, MCMC issued a statement that it will take legal action against X Corp. (formerly Twitter) and xAI LLC over alleged failures to ensure user safety in Malaysia related to the use of Grok.

As announced by MCMC previously, the Deeming Provisions are applicable to WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. However, it seems to be non-applicable to X (formerly Twitter) as they claim to have less than 8 million users in Malaysia.

Malaysia still mulls eKYC-based age verification for social media usage

Fahmi also reiterated that the government aims to implement age verification for social media users through three official documentational channels, namely MyKad, Passport and MyDigital ID.

He said the eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer) mechanism is still being studied and they have seen several countries implementing age limits successfully. He added that the mechanism for Malaysia will be different as Malaysia is unique for having its own MyKad identity cards.

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