Telegram and Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat have begun the process to obtain licenses needed to operate their platforms in Malaysia, according to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.

Both platforms are expected to meet the necessary requirements to continue operating in Malaysia, said the MCMC in a statement Thursday. The license, aimed at enhancing online safety, user protection, and regulatory oversight for internet messaging service and social media service providers, will be effective Jan. 1, it added.

The commission called on all service providers that meet the licensing conditions to submit their applications before the Dec. 31 deadline. Failing to do so may result in regulatory action, it warned.

Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil had previously identified Meta Platforms Inc.’s WhatsApp, ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok and Elon Musk’s X as among the platforms that would need the license. They had met the government’s threshold of at least eight million users in Malaysia.

Malaysia joins efforts by governments across Asia to clamp down on online platforms and hold Big Tech firms accountable for illegal content. From Kuala Lumpur to New Delhi and Canberra, officials are increasingly looking for ways to regulate or curtail social media, which can sway public opinion on politically sensitive issues.