[ UPDATE 6/6/2026 22:45 ] MCMC has issued an official statement to address concerns of Mobile Phone Data collection.
===
South China Morning Post (SCMP) has reported that the Malaysian government had ordered telcos to hand over phone call records and internet usage of its users. The matter raises privacy concerns as the move to collect communication records is seen as an attempt to tighten its control over online activities in Malaysia.
MCMC allegedly requested telcos to share detailed call and internet records for Q1 2025
Quoting two industry sources, the report said that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) had issued letters to telecommunications companies in April, instructing them to share detailed call and internet records for the first three months of this year. It is alleged that the data collection is for the government’s “Mobile Phone Data” project.
A source told SCMP that the requested records include “calls, IP calls, location, latitude and longitude”. The source also questioned MCMC’s transparency and accountability for the use of the data. Most importantly, it remains to be seen if the MCMC would make a public announcement that they are undergoing such exercise which involves users’ call and internet records.
The report added that if a telco fails to comply, it would be considered an offence under the Communications and Multimedia Act which carries a penalty of RM20,000 or imprisonment for up to 6 months.
MCMC had previously instructed telcos to implement directives quietly
This isn’t the first time MCMC had issued directives to telcos without public announcement. In August last year, it was discovered that telcos had quietly implemented a form of DNS hijacking which forces all internet traffic back to local DNS servers even while using alternative DNS such as Google (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1).
After the issue was brought to light, the MCMC acknowledges that it had carried out enhancement of DNS management with the intention to protect users from harmful content. This includes restricting access to blocked websites including online gambling, pornography, copyright infringement, online scams and prostitutions.
As expected, the DNS Redirection issue had faced public backlash and there were reports of legitimate websites, online gaming platforms and even VPN downloaders being blocked. Eventually, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil announced a U-Turn of the DNS Direction policy, after considering the views of the public as well as other parties that have presented their opinions via official engagement sessions with MCMC.
We have reached out to MCMC for a response on the matter. We will update once we have received an official statement.
[ UPDATE 6/6/2026 22:45 ] MCMC has issued an official statement to address concerns of Mobile Phone Data collection.
