Latest news with #Cyberjaya
Malay Mail
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
Single dad charged with 11 counts of posting ‘excessively obscene' comments about Nurul Izzah on Facebook
SEPANG, June 20 — A diver and single father pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to 11 charges of making indecent and excessively obscene comments targeting Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of the Prime Minister, on Facebook earlier this year. The accused, Ruslan Mat Ali, 48, entered the plea after the charges were read before Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman. He is accused of knowingly making and initiating the transmission of indecent and excessively obscene comments with the intent to annoy others, on the Facebook account under his name, Ruslan Mat Ali, allegedly committed between January 21 and February 25. He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which provides for a fine not exceeding RM50,000, or imprisonment for up to one year, or both, upon conviction. According to the first charge, the indecent post was accessed on February 4 at approximately 7.00am at MCMC Tower 1, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, Cyberjaya. For the second to eleventh charges, the posts were accessed on February 26, between 1.51pm and 4.30pm, at the MCMC Centre of Excellence, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, Cyberjaya. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) deputy public prosecutor Fadhli Ab Wahab proposed that bail be set at RM15,000 with one surety. However, the accused, who was unrepresented, appealed for a lower amount, citing the absence of a fixed income and the responsibility of supporting his three children. Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman set bail at RM10,000, with case mention fixed for July 18. The accused failed to post bail and has been remanded until the next mention date. — Bernama
Malay Mail
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
KL man pleads not guilty to 11 charges over obscene posts on Nurul Izzah
SEPANG, June 20 — A diver and single father pleaded not guilty in the Sessions Court here today to 11 charges of making indecent and excessively obscene comments targeting Nurul Izzah Anwar, the daughter of the Prime Minister, on Facebook earlier this year. The accused, Ruslan Mat Ali, 48, entered the plea after the charges were read before Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman. He is accused of knowingly making and initiating the transmission of indecent and excessively obscene comments with the intent to annoy others, on the Facebook account under his name, Ruslan Mat Ali, allegedly committed between January 21 and February 25. He was charged under Section 233(1)(a) of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which provides for a fine not exceeding RM50,000, or imprisonment for up to one year, or both, upon conviction. According to the first charge, the indecent post was accessed on February 4 at approximately 7.00am at MCMC Tower 1, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, Cyberjaya. For the second to eleventh charges, the posts were accessed on February 26, between 1.51pm and 4.30pm, at the MCMC Centre of Excellence, Jalan Impact, Cyber 6, Cyberjaya. Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) deputy public prosecutor Fadhli Ab Wahab proposed that bail be set at RM15,000 with one surety. However, the accused, who was unrepresented, appealed for a lower amount, citing the absence of a fixed income and the responsibility of supporting his three children. Judge Ahmad Fuad Othman set bail at RM10,000, with case mention fixed for July 18. The accused failed to post bail and has been remanded until the next mention date. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
4 days ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
New mobile system launched to enhance disaster communications
Communications minister Fahmi Fadzil (centre) at the launch of Prime, a vehicle-based mobile communications system equipped with satellite technology, cellular networks, two-way radios, WiFi, and drones. CYBERJAYA : The communications ministry has launched the Mobile Integrated Radio and Internet Communication System (Prime), a strategic initiative aimed at strengthening disaster and emergency response capabilities in public areas. Its minister, Fahmi Fadzil, said Prime is part of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission's efforts to support agencies such as the National Disaster Management Agency (Nadma) in ensuring reliable communication coverage in disaster zones. 'This system is not just for frontline responders, but also for victims and those awaiting rescue,' he told a press conference following the launch of Prime at MCMC's headquarters here today. Fahmi said Prime is a vehicle-based mobile communications system equipped with satellite technology, cellular networks, two-way radios, WiFi, and drones. He said the implementation of Prime would strengthen MCMC's collaboration with key strategic agencies involved in disaster and emergency management, enhancing both the efficiency and resilience of response and communication efforts. Prime will also support community outreach initiatives such as the National Information Dissemination Centre (Nadi), serving as a mobile digital hub that enables on-site internet access and community activities. Three Prime units will first be developed in phases, stationed at MCMC's headquarters to support operations in Peninsular Malaysia. 'The remaining two units will be completed by the end of the year and deployed to MCMC's offices in Sabah and Sarawak,' he said, adding that each unit costs RM1 million to build. Fahmi said the ministry would assess potential improvements to features not currently included in Prime. 'For example, with drones, we're exploring ways to deliver and receive information using microphones and speakers. Victims who are trapped can speak directly to rescue teams,' he said. Fahmi said Prime units could be tested as early as October, particularly in states affected by the northeast monsoon.
Malay Mail
09-06-2025
- Business
- Malay Mail
Is your privacy at risk — or is MCMC just tracking trends? What you need to know about Malaysia's mobile data project
CYBERJAYA, June 10 — On the night of Hari Raya Aidiladha, it was reported that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had directed telecommunications companies (telcos) to hand over mobile personal data (MPD) to the government. The directive, which reportedly involves mobile call records from the first quarter of this year, was said to be for official statistical purposes. But how exactly will the data be used — and is your personal information at risk? Project MPD The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM), under the Economy Ministry, proposed the use of MPD as a new data source for producing official national statistics. The proposal was presented to the Cabinet on April 19, 2023, and subsequently approved. Speaking at a media briefing today, MCMC deputy managing director Datuk Zulkarnain Mohd Yasin said that MPD has been formally recognised by the United Nations as a key big data source for strengthening official statistics. He said it offers a powerful tool to improve the quality, timeliness, and granularity of national data. 'The global initiative highlights the pressing need to transcend into traditional statistical methods and adopt innovative data solutions, better comprehend and address societal changes while ensuring that privacy and data protection remain paramount at every stage of implementation now,' he added. Malaysia is not the first to implement the initiative, as countries like Indonesia and Oman have already done so. In short, instead of relying on surveys conducted every five years, the government plans to use real-time data from MPD to inform policy-making and planning — rather than basing decisions on outdated figures from the last DoSM survey. What sort of data that MPD will provide to the government? During the briefing, the media were informed that the MPD project will only collect eight key parameters. These include the location of signal towers (longitude and latitude), details on local and international mobile subscriptions, and call logs. The data will provide the government with more accurate, real-time insights to support planning and policy-making, particularly in areas such as economic activity, population movement, and infrastructure needs. For example, MPD can highlight areas with high mobile activity, helping authorities plan for better telecommunications coverage and capacity, or even identify previously overlooked population areas that were not part of the initial planning. Zulkarnain shared a personal experience: 'I was stuck in traffic on the highway from Malacca to USJ. My daughter was supposed to have an online meeting with her university team, but she couldn't connect. 'Once the highway was congested, the mobile signal also became overloaded. This shows how people's movement affects not just road traffic but also telecom infrastructure.' For the ICT sector, MPD enables the production of granular statistics — such as the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions and penetration rates — at multiple administrative levels, including state, district, mukim, parliamentary constituency, state legislative assembly, and local authority areas. In the tourism sector, the system can generate indicators like the number of visitors and domestic tourism trips. This allows planners to identify popular destinations, particularly among foreign tourists, and improve services and infrastructure in those areas. 'So from the MPD, we can know for example how many people are visiting the Batu Caves on Monday,' Zulkarnain added. Will your personal data also be shared? MCMC commissioner Derek John Fernandez reiterated that mobile users' personal data won't be shared by their respective telcos to the government. 'There's only eight parameters that we want for the data. That does not include a person's identification number, address and others. In fact, we do not want the personal data. In our letter sent to telcos, we told them to 'anonymised or pseudomised' the data when submitting it,' he said. The eight parameters collected are: MSISDN – An anonymised subscriber identifier Date and time of transmission Transmitter longitude Transmitter latitude Data type – Such as call detail records, indicating whether it's a regular call or data usage (e.g., WhatsApp) Service type – 3G, 4G, or 5G MCC (Mobile Country Code) – Identifies the country of origin Unique ID Fernandez clarified that even the location of mobile users will not be shared — only traffic signals from mobile towers will be collected. There are two ways for telcos to submit MPD data to MCMC: Option A: Telcos process the data within their own secure environments. Once processing is complete, they submit only anonymised and aggregated outputs, such as the total number of mobile users, to MCMC. Option B: For telcos without in-house processing capabilities, anonymised data is securely submitted to MCMC for processing. According to Fernandez, most telcos opt for the first method. Fernandez assured that MCMC stores all its data on its own premises and does not use cloud services or third-party storage. When asked why the public was not consulted about the project, Fernandez explained that it is still in its pilot phase. 'We need to complete the pilot test first to get a clearer picture, how effective it is and how it can truly benefit us,' he said. Cyberjaya has been identified as the first location for the pilot test and will run until 2026. 'This is the new way of survey. The digital way,' Zulkarnain said briefly in a press conference after the briefing.
Free Malaysia Today
09-06-2025
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Nothing new or intrusive about mobile data sharing, says MCMC
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.
