Starting in 2025, tech giants like X (formerly Twitter), Google, Meta, and TikTok operating in Malaysia will be held directly accountable for any user-generated content that violates the country’s laws.
The new regulation, passed by the Malaysian Parliament in December 2024, requires these companies to obtain a social media operating license and take responsibility for the content posted on their platforms.
This move, enforced by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), reflects Malaysia’s growing concerns over online threats such as scams, cyberbullying, and the spread of harmful content. The new law aims to hold tech companies to higher standards, ensuring that they not only comply with local regulations but also moderate user behavior more actively. By putting the onus on the tech companies, Malaysia seeks to curb the negative impacts of the digital landscape while ensuring that online spaces remain safe for all users.
With the law taking effect in 2025, platforms like Tencent’s WeChat and ByteDance’s TikTok have already complied and secured their licenses, while Telegram and Meta are in the process of doing so. However, major tech giants like Elon Musk’s X and Alphabet’s Google have yet to apply. X argued that it does not meet the required threshold of eight million users in Malaysia, while Google raised concerns about the classification of its YouTube platform under the new rules.
This regulatory shift is part of a wider trend across Asia, with governments in countries like Indonesia, India, and the Philippines increasing their scrutiny of global tech companies to ensure that these platforms operate within the framework of national laws. Malaysia’s stance marks a notable step in the region’s growing call for greater responsibility from tech giants in managing the content shared on their platforms.
Meanwhile, Ghana Struggles to Regulate Big Tech
While Malaysia takes decisive steps to regulate tech companies and hold them accountable for the content shared on their platforms, Ghana remains notably behind in this regard. Despite frequent reports of cybercrime, scams, and online abuse affecting Ghanaian users, the country has yet to introduce any formal regulations to tackle these issues or demand accountability from big tech firms.
In Ghana, there is currently no law that recognizes social media platforms as legal entities, leaving users exposed to the risks of online harm without any formal legal protections. The lack of regulatory oversight has raised concerns, especially as cyberattacks and harmful content continue to spread across platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
As a result, users in Ghana remain vulnerable, operating in an online space where tech companies face minimal regulation. This is in stark contrast to Malaysia, which is proactively tackling the issue by implementing clear regulations and holding these companies accountable. The growing discrepancy between the two countries highlights a wider regional trend: while some nations are pushing for greater regulation and responsibility from big tech companies, others, like Ghana, are struggling to keep pace.
The situation in Ghana raises significant questions about the future of online safety and the ability of governments in the region to address the challenges posed by an increasingly digital world. As cybercrime continues to evolve and digital threats become more sophisticated, the lack of a legal framework for social media platforms in Ghana could leave citizens exposed to even greater risks in the years ahead.
In contrast, Malaysia’s forward-thinking approach could serve as a model for other African nations, including Ghana, to adopt in their efforts to protect online users and ensure that tech giants are held accountable for the content they host.
