A Bersatu Youth leader has called on the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to clarify how it plans to process anonymised data collected from telecommunications operators.
Bersatu Youth communications and new media chief Na’im Brundage said it was alarming that the public only learned about MCMC’s directive requiring phone companies to hand over data on all mobile phone calls made from January to March through international media reports.
Na’im said there had been no prior notification or public consultation from the government or MCMC about the directive.
“While MCMC has clarified that the data does not contain personally identifiable information, no explanation has yet been given on how the data will be processed, what privacy protection protocols will be used, or what kind of oversight and auditing will be implemented to prevent misuse of the data,” he said in a statement.
“Any data-gathering process must obtain clear and informed consent from data owners, be accompanied by thorough public consultation, and be subject to strict monitoring and independent audits.”
He also called on MCMC to immediately cease mass data collection from telecommunications operators.
The South China Morning Post, quoting industry sources, reported that Putrajaya had ordered mobile phone companies to hand over detailed records of phone calls and internet usage as it broadens controls over online activity.
MCMC then said no personal information would be accessed, processed, or disclosed by the commission. It said the data requested was anonymised and contained no information that can be used to identify any person.
The internet regulator said the statistics collected include the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions and penetration rates by area.
The data is also used for tourism-related purposes, such as generating indicators on visitor numbers and domestic travel trends.
MCMC said the initiative mirrors efforts in countries like Indonesia and Brazil, where anonymised telecommunication data is used to improve national statistics without compromising user privacy.
