Meta says Malaysia social media licensing plan lacks clarity, Reuters reports

Meta’s director of public policy for Southeast Asia Rafael Frankel criticized Malaysia’s plan to require social media platforms to apply for a regulatory license by January, saying the proposal lacked clear guidelines and gave social companies little time to comply, risking digital innovation and growth in the country, Reuters’ Danial Azhar reports. The timeline to apply for a license is “exceptionally accelerated” and the obligations for social media firms under the plan remained unclear, Frankel said in an interview with Reuters. “These regulations tend to take a couple years to go through multiple iterations… to properly structure them and to balance the need for safety and ensure that you don’t inadvertently cap innovation and digital economic growth,” he said. Meta is currently undecided if it will apply for the licensing by the deadline.