Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo asserts that a thorough evaluation is necessary for the proposal holding the government accountable for personal data breaches.
“We are considering these matters. I hope a decision can be made and brought to the Cabinet’s attention soon,” he adds, according to FMT.
He notes varying approaches adopted by other nations to address this issue, whether through amending existing laws or enacting new ones.
Gobind mentions that his ministry, via the Personal Data Protection Commissioner’s Office, has received complaints and reports regarding personal data breaches from various agencies such as the police, Bank Negara Malaysia, and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission.
These complaints have been investigated according to the seven principles of personal data protection and relevant regulations.
He also mentions ongoing efforts to amend the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 to bolster personal data security.
Additionally, both federal and state governments are collaborating to develop their respective cybersecurity policies to fortify government ICT systems against hacking.
Regarding cybersecurity incidents, Gobind highlights a significant decrease in cases reported by Cyber99, the cybersecurity incident response centre, from 7,192 cases in 2022 to 3,232 cases in the previous year. He notes previous figures of 5,575 cases in 2021 and 4,194 cases in 2020.
