CYBERJAYA: The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today emphasised that the collection of Mobile Phone Data (MPD) from mobile network operators is to enhance national policy planning and development by utilising anonymised mobile data, without involving any personal information.
MCMC deputy managing director Datuk Zulrkarnain Mohd Yasin said MPD is a global initiative supported by the United Nations (UN), International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and World Bank and adopted by over 50 countries.
“This initiative supports digital transformation in statistics collection methods. With mobile phone coverage exceeding 148 per cent, we can generate faster, more accurate, and comprehensive data compared to conventional survey methods, which may take years,” he said at a media briefing on MPD, here today.
Zurkarnain said the usage of MPD, which has raised concerns among users, allows for more efficient and precise development-related planning and policy interventions.
He explained that this is because MPD enhances efficiency in the collection of data and statistics, while also addressing several limitations inherent in traditional survey methods.
“For example, population studies are usually conducted via national census, which is only held once every 10 years. In fact, detailed surveys often require face-to-face interviews with respondents, which are time-consuming and costly.
“With MPD, some of the required information is already available without having to ask respondents directly in survey questions. This makes the data collection process more efficient and faster,” he said.
From the respondent’s perspective, he said MPD enables policies to be formulated more efficiently, while also saving respondents’ time, as they may now only need to answer 10 questions instead of 30 previously.
On the issue of privacy, Zurkarnain reiterated that all MPD data is anonymous and does not include the users’ names, identification card numbers, addresses, or locations.
“The data only refers to the location of the transmission towers, not the users’ actual location,” he stressed.
He added that MCMC does not receive any raw data. All data has already been anonymised by the service providers and does not violate the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA).
Zurkarnain said the data collection was to support an initiative led by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) which is currently in its pilot phase. It will be expanded once all data security and governance aspects are firmly in place.
“Public consultation will be held once the pilot phase has been concluded. The goal of MPD is to produce statistical data, not to track individuals. This marks a major shift in national data collection that should be supported,” he said.
