Telcos reassure public no personal data shared with MCMC
CelcomDigi, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia and Maxis stress that only anonymised data — without any personally identifiable information — will be shared with MCMC. (Freepik pic)
PETALING JAYA : Telco companies have reaffirmed their commitment to protecting customer data following the sharing of mobile phone data (MPD) for official statistical purposes with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
In separate statements, CelcomDigi, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia and Maxis stressed that only anonymised data — without any personally identifiable information — will be shared with MCMC.
CelcomDigi emphasised its strict adherence to existing data protection laws, including the Communications and Multimedia Act and the Personal Data Protection Act, adding that customer trust remains at the core of its operations.
The telco acknowledged the ongoing discussions and concerns raised by the public over the MCMC initiative and said it is working closely with the commission to support the government's efforts without compromising the integrity of customer data.
'At all times, we operate under tight security protocols and in compliance with the relevant data protection laws and regulations, with stringent limitations on any personal identifiable information,' it said.
U Mobile, meanwhile, affirmed 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.
'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 its mobile phone data, at no point will personally identifiable information be revealed or processed.
U Mobile remains committed to safeguarding customer privacy and ensuring full regulatory compliance in all aspects of data management, it added.
TM also clarified that the mobile phone data submitted to MCMC is fully anonymised and does not contain any personally identifiable information.
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.
Meanwhile, Maxis also said MCMC will have no access to personally identifiable information at any stage.
It added that controls and processes are in place to ensure customers' personal data will not be compromised.
'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,' it said in a statement.
'Maxis remains fully committed to protecting the data of all our customers.'
On Friday, MCMC clarified that its collection of mobile phone data from mobile network operators does not involve the access, processing or disclosure of any personally identifiable information.
MCMC said the mobile phone data will be used strictly to generate official statistics to support evidence-based policymaking in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector and the tourism sector.
Earlier today, communications minister Fahmi Fadzil assured the public that MCMC is not collecting any personal information from telecommunications companies.
He said MCMC's request for phone companies to hand over data on all mobile phone calls, made from January to March, is a Cabinet decision aimed at collecting data for the statistics department, with the goal of creating better policies and plans.
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