Malaysia’s internet regulator reportedly revealed Elon Musk’s X and Alphabet’s Google are yet to apply for a social media operating licence, required under new laws in the country that came into force at the start of 2025.

Bloomberg reported X and Google-run YouTube are yet to complete the process which will require both platforms to run in the country after a bill was passed last month by Malaysia’s parliament that amended laws around social media.

The updated policies, implemented by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, are designed to tackle online threats including scams and cyberbullying. Governments across Asia are taking aim at big tech companies for their accountability over content posted on their platforms.

X apparently claimed it did not need the licence as the amount of users it has in the country does not meet the threshold of eight million, set by the regulator.

Meanwhile, Google issued a statement to the commission stating it had concerns over the classification of YouTube’s video sharing features under the framework.

Bloomberg added Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s TikTok have obtained the licence already, while Telegram and Meta Platforms have started the process.

Those that breach the licence could be subject to investigation or supervision.