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THE Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has clarified that the sharing of Mobile Positioning Data (MPD) by telecommunications companies does not constitute a breach of privacy under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA), as the data involved is anonymised and devoid of identifiable user information.
Deputy Chief Operating Officer of MCMC, Datuk Zurkarnain Mohd Yasin (pic - third from left), said the data obtained from mobile service providers is de-identified, ensuring that no personal details of individuals are revealed.
"We have no intention of tracking an individual’s whereabouts, where they go or where they stay. That is not the purpose of MPD.
"The objective of collecting MPD is purely statistical; it represents a new method of acquiring statistical information," he said during a briefing on MPD held on Monday.
He explained that while traditional data collection relied on surveys, the use of MPD marks a shift towards digital transformation through big data analytics.
"This is a significant transformation in how data is gathered and should be supported," he added.
However, Zurkarnain also confirmed that Malaysians do not have the option to opt out of the use of their anonymised mobile data for these purposes. The use of MPD, he said, was approved by the Cabinet as part of an initiative to develop new national data sources for statistics.
"The use of MPD is not new. Many countries have adopted similar methods," he stated.
According to him, telecommunications providers are given two options: either to process the MPD internally and share only anonymised outputs with the Commission, or to provide de-identified data to MCMC for further processing.
In both scenarios, he emphasised that no personally identifiable information is shared or utilised. -June 9, 2025