Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching announced that the government of Malaysia is introducing a Data Breach Notification system as a move to protect its citizens from the growing threat of data breaches and scams.
Teo says data users experiencing personal data leakage incidents, including hacking threats, are required to submit notifications under this new system, according to Bernama.
This initiative aims to ensure immediate reporting and mitigation of data leaks.
“This initiative allows incident information to be analysed so that mitigation measures can be taken immediately to prevent further leakage and control the ongoing impact,” she explained.
She also added that the government is committed to maintaining public confidence in the country’s data management practices.
To bolster the effectiveness of this system, law enforcement agencies, regulatory bodies, and other organisations in Malaysia are actively working to raise public awareness.
They are also implementing stricter regulations and enhancing enforcement to protect individuals from scams.
Teo emphasised the importance of adapting to the evolving tactics used by scammers, especially as advancements in digitalisation increase the potential for technology abuse.
The Data Breach Notification system is not really new
In 2021, the Personal Data Protection Commissioner under the Ministry of Communications and Multimedia has a Data Breach Notification form that people can fill up to report incident of data breaches.
It’s uncertain if the system mentioned by Teo is the same as the one introduced in 2021.
