KUALA LUMPUR: The government is in the midst of improving existing laws on data protection to counter the challenges and cyber threats faced today.
Referring to a recent hacking incident involving the University of Malaya’s (UM) e-pay portal on Thursday, Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo (pix) said the improvements were also in line with the development of new technologies as part of efforts to maintain data security.
“In our country, we have laws that have been in place since 2010, and I think we have reached a point where we need to improve on it.
“To me, the current law is enforceable, but at the same time we need to look at how we can implement amendments to strengthen and tighten existing laws to meet the challenges and threats we face today,“ he said.
Gobind said this while winding up his debate on the Supply Bill 2020 on behalf of his ministry at the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
He said the Amendment Bill was expected to be tabled during the next Parliament session between March and May 2020.
“I am in the process of improving the existing provision to address cyber security and data security issues,“ he said.
Meanwhile, on efforts to accelerate the digital economy, Gobind said a partnership with the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) through the eUsahawan programme and the Go-eCommerce platform have benefited 306,849 entrepreneurs.
“We provide training opportunities and content for micro and youth entrepreneurs to gain knowledge in digital entrepreneurship including marketing through social media, e-marketplaces, data analysis, online payments, digital advertising and cyber security,“ he said.
Gobind also noted that out of the total, 107,558 entrepreneurs managed to generate additional sales online totalling RM586 million.
Referring to the proposal to set up the Digital Economy Special Council, Gobind welcomed the proposal, but said the ministry was currently focusing on the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor Implementation Council Meeting to discuss topics related to the digital economy. — Bernama
