I find the criticism of the collection of mobile phone data (MPD) by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to be not only dishonest, but attempts to suggest nefarious intent is right out of the tired playbook of scaremongering.
The MCMC, which is requiring telcos to submit mobile phone data, has been painted as the agent of the government attempts to curb freedom of expression – the regulator being the manifestation of the Orwellian nightmare of thought police ruining our freedom.
Many of the criticisms carry a heavy dose of politicking, too, not only did they claim the exercise as an overreach by the Government, but because many of the critics are incidentally card-carrying members of political parties.
I must say that more than anything it is lazy and simplistic politicking – employing scare tactics and duplicity.
Over the weekend there were reports that the MCMC was compelling telecommunication companies to share phone data or else they could be fined or jailed. It has been suggested to be an insidious attempt to spy on us mobile phone users, perhaps a surreptitious attempt at thought control and to infringe on our privacy.
That the MPD exercise has been approved by the Cabinet, say the critics, is proof that the government is overextending its legal reach to spy on us.
However, none of the critics bother to go beyond that narrative. None mentioned that it is an extension of the United Nations global effort in data building with the idea of improving services; or that the data will be part of the gathering of national statistics, just like how the Department of Statistics records birth or death rates, household incomes, accessibility to the internet, etc.
There was also no mention of the fact that telcos would only share anonymised data – meaning no names or numbers – to MCMC with the sole idea of giving a better picture of the state of our telecommunications infrastructure, for instance.
Because it does not fit the narratives that the MCMC and government are spying on us, no mention was made of the assurance that consumer privacy will not be compromised.
Someone said that in the World Wide Web, content was king, but now in the realms of social media, algorithms reign supreme. The platforms seek and stalk you, learn your habits, check out your likes and dislikes, and then feed you with more of the same.
At times you may wonder, with the billions of content over the social media, why do you keep getting cat videos or conspiracy theories? Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, google, YouTube, X, etc. – employ algorithms that know you better than you yourself can.
The MPD remit is just a fraction of the data collected by these platforms and yet there is not a pip from the champions of consumer liberties when the algorithms are used to spread lies, fakeries and misinformations. It is clear as day that the platforms are venues for scammers and grifters, pornographers, child groomers and what have you.
When the MCMC wanted to have them licensed for the very reason of curbing the more than 140 per cent rise in child pornography locally last year, for instance, these critics refuse to address the elephant in the room except of course the predictable freedom of expression trope.
We should all object to any attempt to curb our freedom, but we also should not miss the forest for the trees.
One can’t shout fire in the proverbial theatre when in fact it is just a spark that needs to be monitored lest it gets out of control. This over-excited extrapolation of official reach and intent is not allowing for a measured responsible conversation. It is also dishonest.
We should all check on excesses by the authorities and the government, but we should also not be blind to the bigger picture. By the same token we should also check on the zealousness of politikings over everything else. – June 12, 2025
Veteran newsman Datuk Zainul Arifin is CEO of Big Boom Media which publishes Scoop