Applications for incentives to attract international concerts, events open May 15
PUTRAJAYA: Applications for financial incentives under the Concerts and Events in Malaysia Incentive (CEMI) program will open from May 15 to July 10, says Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.
The Communications Minister said the initiative aims to boost the concert and event industry, attract international events and enhance Malaysia's economic landscape by generating employment and increasing tourism.
ALSO READ: Financial incentive for bringing in big concerts
"CEMI will offer financial incentives to event organisers who meet the criteria," he said.
Separately, he said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has not received any requests to ban Russian e-hailing applications InDrive and Maxim.
He said that if the Transport Ministry were to submit such a request, MCMC would fulfil its duties in accordance with the law.
"At present, MCMC has not informed me of any request from the Transport Ministry to take action," he said, adding that action can be taken under the Communications and Multimedia Act.
He said this in response to a question on whether MCMC would ban the e-hailing applications that are ceasing operations in July.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
2 hours ago
- The Star
Telcos assure anonymity, security for customers with data-sharing initiative
PETALING JAYA: Reaffirming their commitment to protecting customer privacy, telcos say data shared with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is strictly anonymised. CelcomDigi clarified its involvement in the Mobile Phone Data (MPD) initiative by MCMC, emphasising that it adheres to the highest standards of data protection. The company's policies, it stated, are in line with the Communications and Multimedia Act, the Personal Data Protection Act, and other relevant regulations. 'We continuously conduct comprehensive reviews of privacy and data protection compliance across the company to drive constant improvements, aligned with best practices, and to stay abreast of new and emerging legislation,' it said in a statement yesterday. Anonymisation is a data processing technique that removes or modifies personally identifiable information, resulting in data that cannot be associated with any one individual. CelcomDigi has pledged to continue working intently with MCMC to support the government's initiatives without compromising the integrity of customer data, adding that adequate processes and controls would remain in place. 'When required, CelcomDigi will process requested data within our own secure environments and provide a limited sample of relevant fields, comprising anonymised and aggregated output, to MCMC. 'At all times, we will operate under tight security protocols and in compliance with relevant data protection laws and regulations, with stringent limitations on any personal identifiable information,' it said. Telekom Malaysia (TM) said the MPD submitted to MCMC was fully anonymised and did not contain personally identifiable information. 'The submission of this data is carried out under strict governance and security protocols, in full compliance with applicable company policies as well as national laws and regulatory requirements. 'TM remains fully committed to safeguarding the safety and privacy of customer data with responsibility and integrity,' it said. In its response, UMobile said at no point will personally identifiable information be shared or processed when the MPD is shared. 'UMobile affirms that the privacy and protection of our customers' data is a top priority. We are aware of the objectives of the initiative and are committed to working with MCMC in a manner that upholds the highest standards of data governance,' it said. It was reported that, according to industry sources, the government had instructed local telcos in April to hand over detailed call and Internet usage logs for the first quarter of the year under the MPD project. The data requested reportedly included call logs and IP call records, as well as precise location information, including latitude and longitude. The report stated that telcos which fail to comply will be considered to have infringed the Communications and Multimedia Act, which carries a RM20,000 fine or six months' jail. MCMC has since explained that the move was to support evidence-based policymaking in two key sectors – Information and Communication Technology, and tourism. It stated that the data will be anonymised before it is submitted and that no individual subscriber could be identified through the data collected. YTL Communications Sdn Bhd confirmed that it has complied with MCMC's directive to submit mobile network usage records for the first quarter of 2025 in support of the government's recently approved mandate to use MPD for national statistics. 'In fulfilling this obligation, YTL Communications has taken rigorous steps to anonymise all data prior to submission. 'No personally identifiable information has been shared, and customer privacy remains our highest priority,' it said in a statement.
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
Fahmi: Call data to shape policymaking
Coming together: Fahmi attending Lembah Pantai Umno's Perpaduan sacrificial ritual ceremony in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidiladha at the Kampung Pasir Baru hall in Kuala Lumpur. — Bernama KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's (MCMC) request for mobile phone call data from telecommunications companies is aimed at supporting evidence-based policymaking, including enhancing network infrastructure, says Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. He said the requested data does not include identities or any information that could be used to identify individuals. 'The purpose is to collect data for the official statistics of the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM). 'It does not contain any personal information but focuses on trends to enable us to gather more detailed information about quality, engagement levels, and the number of users in specific mukims (subdistricts) or districts. 'Currently, much of the information about the telecommunications sector remains too general,' he told reporters at Lembah Pantai Umno's Perpaduan sacrificial ritual ceremony here yesterday in conjunction with the Aidiladha celebration. He said this new, more detailed approach will enable the government to assess the actual needs of the public and bridge the digital divide more effectively. 'We have also begun shifting from providing general information to focusing on Coverage of Populated Areas. 'This ensures that the data collected under DOSM will enable more planning and policies based on evidence-based policymaking, bringing greater benefits to the public,' he said, as reported by Bernama. Fahmi said the decision was reached through mutual agreement between telecommunications companies and MCMC, involving agencies such as DOSM in a series of workshops held since 2023. 'Discussions have been ongoing for some time, and there are no issues. In fact, I understand that telecommunications companies will not provide any information containing personal data. 'Only anonymised data, processed as thoroughly as possible by the telecommunications companies themselves, will be provided,' he said. MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong recently raised concerns over the issue of data collection. The government's efforts to collate detailed records of phone calls and internet usage from telecommunications firms are a violation of the people's right to their personal data. He also said there is no need to have such detailed information for facilitating policymaking in the information, communications and technology sector, and the tourism sector as clarified by the MCMC. He added for such purposed above, collecting aggregate data was sufficient. Dr Wee said anonymising the data was not enough to maintain the privacy of users, especially in an increasingly connected world. On top of that, he added, there is also data from the mobile app MySejahtera, e-wallets, CCTVs, Touch 'n Go and bank records which can be cross-checked to identify someone.
Daily Express
16 hours ago
- Daily Express
Telcos reassure customer privacy in MCMC data initiative
Published on: Sunday, June 08, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jun 08, 2025 By: Bernama Text Size: For illustrative purposes only. KUALA LUMPUR: Telecommunication companies (telcos) have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting customer data and privacy, following the use of mobile phone data (MPD) for official statistical purposes by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). U Mobile Sdn Bhd affirmed in a statement today that customer data and privacy are its top priority, with policies and processes in place to ensure any shared data is anonymised, aggregated and fully compliant with applicable data protection laws and regulations. Advertisement 'We are aware of the objectives of the initiative and are committed to working with MCMC in a manner that upholds the highest standards of data governance,' it said. It noted that when the company does share the MPD, at no point will personally identifiable information be shared or processed. U Mobile remains committed to safeguarding customer privacy and ensuring full regulatory compliance in all aspects of data management, it added. Meanwhile, Telekom Malaysia Bhd (TM) also clarified that the MPD submitted to MCMC is fully anonymised and does not contain any personally identifiable information. Advertisement Data submission is carried out under strict governance and security protocols, with full compliance to applicable company policies as well as national laws and regulatory requirements, it said in a statement. 'TM remains fully committed to safeguarding the safety and privacy of customer data with responsibility and integrity,' it noted. CelcomDigi Bhd said in a statement that it continues to work intently with MCMC to support the government's initiatives without compromising the integrity of customer data. 'When required, CelcomDigi will process requested data within our own secure environments and provide a limited sample on relevant fields comprising anonymised and aggregated output to the commission,' it said. YTL Communications Sdn Bhd also confirms compliance with MCMC's directive to submit mobile network usage records for the first quarter of 2025, in support of the government's recently approved mandate to use MPD for national statistics. 'In fulfilling this obligation, YTL Communications has taken rigorous steps to anonymise all data prior to submission. No personally identifiable information has been shared, and customer privacy remains our highest priority,' it noted in a statement. Maxis Bhd said that for this initiative, as requested by MCMC, there is no access to, processing of, or sharing of personally identifiable information at any stage, as the company places the priority on data privacy and security. 'All data is anonymised by Maxis and processed in an aggregated manner within a secure environment, in full compliance with the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA),' it said in a statement. On June 6, MCMC clarified that its collection of MPD from mobile network operators (MNOs) does not involve the access, processing or disclosure of any personally identifiable information. MCMC said MPD was used strictly for the generation of official statistics to support evidence-based policymaking in two key domains, namely the information and communications technology sector and the tourism sector. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
