Telcos ordered to submit users' call, internet logs
The MCMC has reportedly ordered telecommunications companies to provide detailed records about their users' phone and internet usage.
The report by South China Morning Post claimed that the instruction from the MCMC came in a letter in April, warning that non-compliance is an offence under the MCMC Act 1998 and is punishable with a fine up to...
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Daily Express
37 minutes ago
- Daily Express
MCMC says no personal data involved in phone record request
Published on: Saturday, June 07, 2025 Published on: Sat, Jun 07, 2025 By: FMT Reporters Text Size: For illustrative purposes only. - Getty Images PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has defended its directive requiring phone companies to hand over data on all mobile phone calls made from January to March. The commission said no personal information would be accessed, processed, or disclosed by the commission. It said that the data requested was anonymised and contained no information that can be used to identify any person. Advertisement The telecommunications companies are given the option to either process the data within their own secure environment and submit the required anonymised and aggregated output to the MCMC; or for those without processing capabilities, submit the anonymised data to the commission for processing. 'In both cases, no individual subscriber can be identified through the data collected,' MCMC said in a statement this evening. The statement came hours after the South China Morning Post , quoting industry sources, said 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. The Post's sources said MCMC had sent a letter to telcos calling up detailed call and internet logs for the first three months of this year, as part of the government's mobile phone data project. The data collected would be used strictly for generating official statistics to support 'evidence-based policymaking'. Advertisement It sought such statistics such as the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions and penetration rates by state, district, mukim, local authority and parliamentary and state constituencies. The data was also used for tourism-related purposes, such as generating indicators on visitor numbers and domestic travel trends, MCMC said. 'The use of mobile phone data as a new source of national statistics is a strategic direction set by the government to strengthen the quality and timeliness of statistical outputs for policy and planning purposes,' it added. - FMT * 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
Malay Mail
9 hours ago
- Malay Mail
MCMC clarifies mobile phone data collection for national statistics, says no identifiable user information involved
KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has clarified its collection of mobile phone data (MPD) from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), assuring that no Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is accessed, processed, or disclosed. The clarification comes amid recent media reports regarding the matter. In a statement today, MCMC said MPD was used strictly for the generation of official statistics to support evidence-based policymaking in two key domains, namely the ICT Sector and the Tourism Sector. For the ICT Sector, MPD helps produce granular statistics, such as the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions and penetration rates at the state, district, mukim, parliamentary constituency, state legislative assembly (DUN), and local authority levels. For the Tourism Sector, it generates indicators such as the number of visitors and domestic tourism trips. 'The MPD data requested from MNOs is anonymised and contains no PII. 'In addition, MNOs are given the option to either process the MPD data within their own secure environment and submit the required anonymised and aggregated output to MCMC, or, for MNOs without in-house processing capabilities, to submit the anonymised data to MCMC for processing. 'In both cases, no individual subscriber can be identified through the data collected,' it said. MCMC further clarified that the use of MPD as a new source of national statistics was a strategic direction set by the government to strengthen the quality and timeliness of statistical outputs for policy and planning purposes. Implementation of MPD is through collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science, it added. Over the past two years, MCMC said extensive engagement with all MNOs had been carried out to ensure mutual understanding of the data requirements, processes, and privacy safeguards. These included the MPD National Workshop held from Sept 2 to 5, 2024, attended by representatives from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture, and MNOs (CelcomDigi, Maxis, TM Tech, U Mobile, and YTL). 'This initiative aligns with international best practices. It mirrors similar projects already implemented in countries such as Indonesia and Brazil, where anonymised telecommunications data is used to enhance national statistics while fully safeguarding user privacy,' it said. — Bernama
The Sun
9 hours ago
- The Sun
MCMC clarifies mobile phone data collection amid media reports, ensures privacy
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has clarified its collection of mobile phone data (MPD) from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), assuring that no Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is accessed, processed, or disclosed. The clarification comes amid recent media reports regarding the matter. In a statement today, MCMC said MPD was used strictly for the generation of official statistics to support evidence-based policymaking in two key domains, namely the ICT Sector and the Tourism Sector. For the ICT Sector, MPD helps produce granular statistics, such as the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions and penetration rates at the state, district, mukim, parliamentary constituency, state legislative assembly (DUN), and local authority levels. For the Tourism Sector, it generates indicators such as the number of visitors and domestic tourism trips. 'The MPD data requested from MNOs is anonymised and contains no PII. 'In addition, MNOs are given the option to either process the MPD data within their own secure environment and submit the required anonymised and aggregated output to MCMC, or, for MNOs without in-house processing capabilities, to submit the anonymised data to MCMC for processing. 'In both cases, no individual subscriber can be identified through the data collected,' it said. MCMC further clarified that the use of MPD as a new source of national statistics was a strategic direction set by the government to strengthen the quality and timeliness of statistical outputs for policy and planning purposes. Implementation of MPD is through collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science, it added. Over the past two years, MCMC said extensive engagement with all MNOs had been carried out to ensure mutual understanding of the data requirements, processes, and privacy safeguards. These included the MPD National Workshop held from Sept 2 to 5, 2024, attended by representatives from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture, and MNOs (CelcomDigi, Maxis, TM Tech, U Mobile, and YTL). 'This initiative aligns with international best practices. It mirrors similar projects already implemented in countries such as Indonesia and Brazil, where anonymised telecommunications data is used to enhance national statistics while fully safeguarding user privacy,' it said.
