Latest news with #MobilePhoneData
Malaysiakini
5 days ago
- Politics
- Malaysiakini
Govt again defends mobile data collection plan as privacy-compliant
The government has reiterated its commitment to protecting citizen privacy whilst defending its controversial Mobile Phone Data (MPD) initiative, following fresh parliamentary query over the programme's scope and safeguards. Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said that the programme, approved by the cabinet on April 19, 2023, allows government agencies to utilise aggregated mobile phone data as a new source for producing official national statistics.
The Star
31-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
No plans to scrap Mobile Phone Data initiative
Talking tech: Fahmi visiting one of the booths at the International Connectivity Conference Expo in Kuala Lumpur. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star PUTRAJAYA has no plans to scrap the Mobile Phone Data (MPD) initiative, as no privacy violations have occurred, says Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil. He said the MPD is in line with Cabinet decisions, local laws and international standards. 'All necessary safety measures have been implemented and the government remains open to improving security mechanisms while continuously monitoring the initiative to maintain public confidence,' Fahmi said in response to Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah (PN-Langkawi) who asked whether the initiative would be cancelled. Fahmi clarified that the MPD did not involve personally identifiable information and the data provided by mobile network operators (MNOs) was not classified as personal data under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. He also noted that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), Statistics Department and MNOs held a media briefing on June 9 to explain the initiative. 'The MCMC is aware of public concerns over privacy. However, the data shared by the MNOs is aggregated statistical output, not individual data. 'These statistics are processed internally in a secure environment before being shared with the MCMC,' Fahmi said. He added that MPD provided accurate, granular and near real-time data to support policy planning in telecommunications and tourism, including a focus on Langkawi, in line with the initiative's original mandate. Earlier last month, the MCMC clarified that MNOs are only required to provide eight types of data for the MPD, none of which included names, MyKad numbers or phone numbers. Mobile station international subscriber directory numbers, unique IDs and location data such as latitude and longitude are among the data collected.
The Star
30-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
No plans to scrap Mobile Phone Data initiative, says Fahmi
KUALA LUMPUR: Putrajaya has no plans to scrap the Mobile Phone Data (MPD) initiative because no privacy violation occurred, the Dewan Rakyat hears. Communication Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil also said the MPD was in line with the Cabinet decision, as well as local legislations and international standards. 'At the same time, all necessary safety measures have been implemented in the MPD initiative. 'The government is also always open to improving security mechanisms and it is also monitoring it from time to time to ensure public confidence,' said the Communications Ministry in a statement on Wednesday (July 30). Fahmi was responding to a question by Datuk Mohd Suhaimi Abdullah, who asked if the ministry would cancel the MPD initiative. Fahmi said the MPD initiative does not involve any personally identifiable information (PII) and data provided by mobile network operators (MNO) was not classified as personal information under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010. Fahmi also said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the Statistics Department and MNOs held a media briefing on June 9, where an explanation was given. 'The MCMC is aware of public concerns regarding the privacy risks that may arise from the MPD initiative. 'But, the data given by MNOs are in the form of output statistics that are aggregated and it is not individual. 'The statistics are generated from internal processing by MNOs in a safe environment before it is shared with the MCMC,' said Fahmi. Fahmi also said the benefits of the MPD were its ability to provide more accurate information that is granular and near real-time, in line with a data approach and the government's digital transformation agenda. 'The MPD initiative will be used to support policy planning and making in two main sectors - telecommunications and tourism, including a focal point in Langkawi, in line with the original mandate of this initiative,' added Fahmi. Early last month, the MCMC said MNOs are only required to provide eight types of data in the MPD collection initiative. No personally identifiable information, such as IC number, name or phone number, is collected. Among the data collected under the MPD initiative were mobile station international subscriber directory numbers (MSISDNs), unique ID, and the longitude and latitude data of telco providers.
Focus Malaysia
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Focus Malaysia
Critics are now calling Anwar's regime the ‘kuku besi' regime
MALAYSIAN authorities are cracking down on online critics of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's administration, with politicians and citizens facing police questioning or charges. Former economy minister Datuk Seri Rafizi Ramli voiced his concerns after a pro-Pakatan Harapan (PH) supporter's wife filed a police report following a visit by officers from both the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the police at their home. Rafizi on June 9 highlighted the case of the X user Amer Hamzah, who voiced his views on the PKR elections. Rafizi also identified other social media accounts allegedly targeted for commenting on the recent elections within PKR. The clampdown coincides with controversy over the Mobile Phone Data (MPD) project, which collects mobile data from telcos without an opt-out, raising privacy and surveillance concerns. Despite government assurances, critics remain sceptical. Recently, MCMC blocked two Telegram channels, Edisi Siasat (1.18 million members) and Edisi Khas, for allegedly violating local laws. On June 19, MCMC obtained a court order against Telegram for spreading harmful content, compelling the platform to block the controversial whistleblowing channel Edisi Siasat. This action mirrors the 2015 blocking of Sarawak Report during the 1Malaysia Development Bhd scandal under former premier Datuk Seri Najib Razak's administration. At least six individuals, including Pahang MCA Youth chief Wong Siew Mun, faced police questioning over social media posts criticising the government's MPD project, which collects anonymous mobile data without opt-out until 2026. Critics fear privacy breaches and surveillance, despite assurances of data security. Wong, questioned on June 18 for a TikTok video, called for parliamentary debate. Amid rising discontent and coalition tensions, social media censorship has surged, challenging Anwar's free speech and reform commitments. 'They (the authorities) have to stop the data collection. Why is there a need for large-scale monitoring?' said Wong, whose party is aligned with the Anwar-led unity government. 'This involves public interest and trust. We are trying to foster public discourse on this… We have a role to play in making sure the government is doing the right thing,' she told The Straits Times. On June 18, 2025, Wong was questioned by police over a TikTok video where she criticised the government's MPD project. She questioned whether Malaysia is undergoing genuine reforms or sliding into 'dictatorship', highlighting concerns over the non-consensual collection of mobile data from telcos, raising fears of privacy violations and surveillance. While Madani is taking the same path Najib's regime took, more people are now voicing concerns over the banishment of freedom of expression online. With the Edisi Siasat 2.0 channel now inaccessible, more people are voicing support for the channel. An X user said the Anwar regime's iron grip is no joke these days, calling it 'kuku besi'. The Telegram channel Edisi Siasat 2, which just started breathing two days ago and already hit over 100,000 subscribers, got buried yesterday after they managed to drop one post (complete with a phone number) of Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil. The minister had joined the channel the night before, creating a flurry of comments on the channel. Rejim kuku besi non bukan main lagi ganas sekarang. Channel Telegram Edisi Siasat 2 – yang baru sempat bernafas dua hari lepas & dah cecah lebih 100 ribu subscribers – pun dah kena benam semalam selepas mereka sempat buat satu posting (siap dengan nombor telefon) bahawa Pahmee… — Naratif Rakyat 🇲🇾 (@NaratifRakyat) June 21, 2025 A critic of the Madani regime who is also a whistleblower had this to say: 'Edisi Siasat existed as a critic of government institutions since the Muhyiddin government, and look which kuku besi is trying to silence it.' Edisi Siasat existed as Government institutions' critic since Muhyiddin government and look which kuku besi is trying to silence it. — FreeMalaysian (@FreeMsian) June 19, 2025 Note that in the years before Anwar took power, the words 'kuku besi' were used against the Najib regime. — June 21, 2025
Straits Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Malaysia cracks down on online critics amid controversial mobile data tracking project
KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian authorities are taking action against online critics of Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration, with politicians and members of the public being called in for police questioning in recent weeks, charged or muzzled. This comes amid growing unease over the government's Mobile Phone Data (MPD) project, which collects users' mobile data from telcos, without an opt-out option. Despite government assurances, critics have raised concerns over data privacy and security, fearing the information could be misused for surveillance. Already, there have been moves to silence online critics. Most recently , two channels of messaging service Telegram were bloc ked for allegedly harmful content that violated local laws. Whistleblower watchdog Edisi Siasat (investigation edition), with 1.18 million members, and its companion channel Edisi Khas (special edition), are no longer accessible in Malaysia. The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission ( MCMC ) said on June 19 that it obtained a temporary court order against Telegram and two channels on the platform for allegedly disseminating content that violates the country's laws. Malaysia's communications regulator said it sought the court order against Telegram following the platform's 'serious failure to address content that has been repeatedly reported to it'. The nature of the harmful content was not disclosed. The MCMC's latest move echoes its 2015 block on UK-based news blog Sarawak Report over 1MDB-related content. And now, at least half a dozen individuals have been questioned by the police for social media posts critical of government decisions, including the data-collection scheme. 'They (the authorities) have to stop the data collection. Why is there a need for large-scale monitoring?' said Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA) Pahang Youth chief Wong Siew Mun, whose party is aligned with the Anwar-led unity government. 'This involves public interest and trust. We are trying to foster public discourse on this... We have a role to play in making sure the government is doing the right thing ,' she told The Straits Times, adding that the data-collection project should be tabled in Parliament for debate and scrutiny. Ms Wong was questioned by the police on June 18 over a video she posted on TikTok, in which she questioned whether Malaysia is truly undergoing reform s or slipping into 'dictatorship,' following the government's decision to collect data from telcos without individual s' consent. In its pilot phase, the MPD project is expected to continue until 2026. The government and telcos stress that only 'anonymous' data will be collected – meaning, no names or ID numbers – and that the data is for official use and is protected by strong laws, information leaks can and do happen . But experts warn that even when data is anonymous, it can sometimes be pieced back together to identify individuals. 'No personal data will be shared,' and 'we are not aiming to track the whereabouts of any individual,' MCMC deputy managing director Zurkarnain Mohd Yasin told the media on June 9. The growing scrutiny and pushback against critics comes at a time when the Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's administration is facing growing public discontent, including over the rising cost of living, even as it faces growing tensions within the ruling coalition. All of which appears to contradict his Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition's longstanding commitment to free speech, undermining his reform agenda. In fact, social media censorship in Malaysia surged during Datuk Seri Anwar's first year in power, according to a TikTok report released in mid-2024. Currently , several individuals are being investigated by the authorities , including those questioning political developments within the ruling coalition. Lawmaker and former Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli on June 9 highlighted the case of X user Amer Hamzah, whose wife filed a police report after their home was visited by officers from both the MCMC and the police. Besides Mr Amer, Mr Rafizi also identified other social media accounts allegedly targeted for commenting on the recent internal elections of his Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR), where Nurul Izzah Anwar, the Prime Minister's daughter, was declared deputy president over Rafizi, who held the post previously. 'The content under investigation merely constitutes personal opinions about the PKR elections and does not violate any law. If it is indeed considered an offence, then it should be addressed through transparent and legitimate procedures, not through tactics that instil fear,' Mr Rafizi said in a statement. The MCMC also summoned social media influencer Aliff Ahmad in April after he posted an offer on Facebook to investigate Ms Nurul Izzah's background using his platform, Scrut Analytica, if the post received 20,000 shares. Meanwhile, online seller Norizan Yahaya, 62, was charged on June 13 with posting offensive content regarding the authorities' investigation into the GISB sect on YouTube in September 2024. He was charged under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000, imprisonment of up to one year, or both. In January, Malaysia introduced a new social media law requiring social media platforms and messaging services with more than eight million users in Malaysia to obtain a licence or face legal action. In pushing for the licensing of social media platforms, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil had said the measure is needed to combat the spread of online crimes, including scams, gambling, and child pornography. The minister has also sought to allay fears among the public over the data-collection scheme. 'The telcos will not be sharing any data containing personal information. Only anonymised data will be (shared), and it will be processed as carefully as possible by the telcos,' he was quoted as saying by the Free Malaysia Today news website on June 8. In addition, the Department of Statistics Malaysia posted on X on June 10 that the data collected would subject to appropriate safeguards. But the skeptics are not buying it. 'There is no such thing as anonymised,' X user Thevesh posted on June 7, adding that such data could be reidentified when combined with other information and thus 'very prone to abuse.' Sensitive behavioural data involving one's health, lifestyle or religious matters could easily be uncovered, noted Woon King Chai, director at Malaysian think-tank Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research. 'A user who connects to a transmitter in Taman Tun Dr Ismail every weekday at 7.20am and another in Putrajaya at 8.45am reveals a consistent home-to-work pattern,' he said, in a post on the Malay Mail's news website on June 17. He also expressed concerns about the growing intolerance of free speech, saying that when individuals who publicly questioned the MPD project are 'subjected to investigations and enforcement action', this fuels fears that the initiative is 'less about planning and more about control'. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
