Nothing new or intrusive about mobile data sharing, says MCMC

Free Malaysia Today

09-06-2025

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission said the sharing of anonymised mobile phone data is done according to benchmark international standards. (Freepik pic)
CYBERJAYA : The sharing of anonymised mobile phone data (MPD) with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) is neither new nor intrusive, and mirrors what global tech platforms already do every day, says a commission member.
Derek John Fernandez said the move is consistent with the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, and falls within international best practices on data use for infrastructure planning and national development.
'This goes on every day if you subscribe to Google, Facebook – and they have even more than that.
'We do it within benchmark international standards. I refer you to the United Nations sustainability report, expert conferences, and the practice around the world on this matter,' he said in a media briefing today.
He was responding to concerns about whether mobile users can opt out of the process if they are uncomfortable with the use of their data.
MCMC deputy managing director Zulkarnain Yasin said opting out was not an option, as the move had been approved at the highest level.
'It's a Cabinet decision. What we are doing is for national development. This is also part of the regulatory requirements that we have asked the operators to comply with,' he said.
Zulkarnain also said that the anonymised MPD collected by the communications ministry and MCMC is not classified as personal data as data they receive from mobile network operators (MNOs) cannot be used to identify or trace individuals.
'The eight data sets collected by MNOs only include an anonymised identifier set by the operators, the date and time of the transaction by transmitters, the location of the transmission tower connected to the devices, the type of network, and country identifier.'
He also gave his assurance that the practice was in full compliance with Malaysian laws and international standards.
When asked why the public had not been directly informed that the MPD sharing project was proceeding despite stakeholder engagement sessions, Zulkarnain said the process had been transparent at the government level.
'The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), when they got approval from the Cabinet, did a lot of media engagement, led by the chief statistician,' he said.
DOSM representative Jamaliah Jaafar added that the project was thoroughly discussed and planned in collaboration with several key agencies.
'We had discussions on this project with MCMC, the telcos, and the tourism ministry. We also prepared a Cabinet paper, which was approved.
'Last year, we had a session with the telcos to explain what MPD is, what the benefits are, and why countries like Indonesia are already doing this,' she said.
Yesterday, telco companies reaffirmed their commitment to protecting customer data following the sharing of MPD for official statistical purposes.
In separate statements, CelcomDigi, U Mobile, Telekom Malaysia, and Maxis stressed that only anonymised data – without any personally identifiable information – would be shared with MCMC.
On Friday, MCMC clarified that its collection of mobile phone data from MNOs did not involve the access, processing, or disclosure of any personally identifiable information.