Mobile Phone Data to Support Policy, Not Track Individuals, Says MCMC
The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has responded to public concerns following its recent request for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) to provide mobile phone data (MPD). In a newly released statement, the Commission emphasised that the data collected does not include any Personally Identifiable Information (PII), assuring the public that user privacy remains protected.
According to MCMC, the “MPD is used strictly for generation of official statistics to support evidence-based policymaking.”
MEDIA STATEMENT
— MCMC (@MCMC_RASMI) June 6, 2025
MCMC CLARIFIES ON COLLECTION OF MOBILE PHONE DATA FOR OFFICIAL STATISTICAL PURPOSES#MCMC pic.twitter.com/CMf8nRUse6
The Commission outlined two main areas where the anonymised data would be applied: the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector and the tourism sector.
In the ICT sector, MCMC stated that the MPD would help “produce granular statistics such as the number of active mobile broadband subscriptions and penetration at the state, district, mukim, parliamentary constituency, DUN, and local authority levels.” For the tourism sector, MCMC said the data would be used “to generate indicators such as the numbers of visitors, and domestic tourism trips.”
To further address privacy concerns, MCMC explained that MNOs can choose between two options when submitting the required information: they may either process the data within their own secure environment and send anonymised output to the Commission, or submit the anonymised data to MCMC for processing.
The Commission also framed the initiative as part of a broader government effort. “The use of MPD as a source of statistics is a strategic direction set by the Government to strengthen quality and timeliness for policy and planning purposes,” it said.
Source: [1] MCMC Facebook Page
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