Dr Wee lists seven proposals to tackle potential abuse when collecting personal data

The Star

The government's Mobile Phone Data collection exercise is fraught with the potential for abuse, says MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.  He said the party stands firmly for data accountability and the people's privacy rights.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

Transcript

00:00Today, we are addressing a serious erosion of public trust.

00:05The MCMC has issued a directive to all major telcos demanding access to Malaysian's mobile food metadata

00:14without consent, without transparency and without any meaningful safeguards.

00:21The government says it is for statistics.

00:25But when you read the fine print, location history, device IDs, call logs, internet access patterns,

00:35it becomes crystal clear this is not just data, it's surveillance.

00:41What's really happening?

00:43Guys, and how does the government react when people raise concerns?

00:49It censors them.

00:51When political commentator Lim Siensi, known for his data-driven criticism, posted about government policies,

00:59his Facebook page was taken down without warning, no explanation, just vanished.

01:06When Alif Ahmad, the founder of Screwed, a platform that helps the public avoid falling for car buying scams,

01:16merely suggested a background check on the high-profile advisor, he got a visit from the police.

01:24When YB Amira Aisha joined a peaceful rally demanding MSCC accountability, she was called in for questioning.

01:32And now, even Rafi Z. Ramli, a senior leader in the ruling coalition, is speaking out about the intimidation faced by ordinary netizens

01:44who commented on PKR's party elections.

01:47Some had their phones and SIM cards seized.

01:51Some were told they were under official investigation.

01:54If a current minister who has just tendered his resignation, his supporters and commentators alike are all being targeted,

02:10then this is no longer a partisan issue.

02:14It is systemic.

02:15When Saudari Wong Siuman, from our MCA Youth Wing, posted a factual critique of the MCMC Data Directive,

02:26she too is being hauled up by the police for further investigation.

02:32And yet, the government expects us to believe this data grab has nothing to do with control.

02:40They said, nothing to worry about.

02:42Well, the louder the government shouts, nothing to see here, the more Malaysians are being silenced.

02:51What does that say?

02:53Let's not kid ourselves.

02:56Metadata can be weaponized.

02:59It can tell where you sleep, who you talk to, where you go to pray, whether you attended a protest,

03:06or even whether you visited a hospital or political event.

03:10And once this data is in the hands of political actors, all bets are off.

03:18The Malaysian-Chinese station stands firmly for data accountability and privacy rights.

03:25We are not here to fight technology.

03:29We are here to fight abuse.

03:31We propose the following.

03:33Number one, transparent anonymization protocols independently audited.

03:39Second, a real opt-out for users not buried in legalese.

03:46Number three, mandatory public consultation before any future data collection.

03:53Number four, legal reforms to expand the PDPA to cover government agencies.

03:59Number five, enforceable data deletion timelines.

04:03Number six, an end to digital intimidation.

04:09Malaysians must be free to speak without fear.

04:14And finally, number seven, a truly independent oversight mechanism, not another rubber stamp.

04:20As a conclusion, this is not a partisan issue.

04:30It is a civic one.

04:31When criticism is met with censorship and data collection is met with intimidation,

04:38it is no longer just about statistics.

04:41It is about the kind of country we are becoming.

04:44Data is power and unchecked power, as we all know, leads to abuse.

04:52Let's not wait until privacy becomes a privilege for the powerful,

04:57and civilians become the new normal.

04:59I don't think that you are.

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