KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has stressed that no individual subscriber can be identified through the mobile phone data collected from telecommunications firms, responding to recent media reports that raised privacy concerns.
The clarification follows reports that the Malaysian government ordered telecom companies to hand over detailed records of phone calls and internet usage for the first three months of this year as part of its Mobile Phone Data (MPD) project.
Industry sources told media that the data requested included call records, IP call records, location, latitude, and longitude.
These developments have sparked worries over potential misuse of data amid Malaysia’s expanding controls over online platforms and a history of significant data breaches.
In a statement, the MCMC emphasised that “no Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is accessed, processed, or disclosed.”
The commission said the MPD is used strictly for generating official statistics to support evidence-based policymaking in two key sectors: the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, and tourism.
The data collected helps produce detailed statistics such as mobile broadband subscription rates and tourism indicators like visitor numbers and domestic trips.
The MPD data requested from Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) is anonymised and contains no personal details.
MNOs are given two options: either to “process the MPD data within their own secure environment and submit the required anonymised and aggregated output to MCMC,” or, if they lack processing capabilities, “submit the anonymised data to MCMC for processing.”
The commission assured that “in both cases, no individual subscriber can be identified through the data collected.”
The initiative is part of the government’s strategic direction to “strengthen the quality and timeliness of statistical outputs for policy and planning purposes.”
It is being implemented in collaboration with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the UN Committee of Experts on Big Data and Data Science.
Over the past two years, the MCMC said it has engaged extensively with all MNOs to ensure a clear understanding of data requirements, processes, and privacy safeguards.
This included the MPD National Workshop held in September 2024, which involved representatives from the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM), ITU, the Communications Ministry, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry, and major MNOs including CelcomDigi, Maxis, TM Tech, U Mobile, and YTL.
The MCMC noted that this approach aligns with international best practices and mirrors similar projects in countries such as Indonesia and Brazil, where anonymised telecommunications data is used to enhance national statistics while fully safeguarding user privacy. — June 6, 2025