MCMC deputy managing director Zurkarnain Yasin says mobile phone data is anonymised and used only in aggregate form to support national planning, not to track individuals.
00:00The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission has clarified that the mobile phone data initiative is not intended to track or monitor individuals, as alleged by some quarters.
00:14Its deputy managing director, Sukarnay Niasen, said the data is fully anonymized and only used in aggregate form to generate macro-level insights for national development planning.
00:26He said the project, still in its early stages, has received formal recognition from the United Nations as a key big data source to improve the quality, accuracy and timeliness of official statistics.
00:42Sukarnay Niasen said this global initiative reflects the urgent need to go beyond traditional statistical methods and adopt innovative data solutions.
00:51His comments came in response to concerns raised by MCA President Wee Ka-seung, who questioned whether the government's directive for telecommunication companies to share user data could violate privacy and lead to potential abuse.
01:08Some parties have gone further, accusing the government of engaging in large-scale spying on citizens through the mobile phone data project.
