KUALA LUMPUR: The Digital Ministry will introduce a Data Commission as early as the end of this year to ensure the nation has ample policies to protect data, said Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo.
He said there is an urgent need for a data governance framework given that the government is focusing on attracting huge investments in data centre from global giants such as Google, Microsoft, and ByteDance.
"The question that arises is whether we have sufficient policies or legal frameworks to protect data and also to outline policies that will encourage data use, while ensuring security remains a priority," he said at the press conference after the collaboration agreement signing ceremony between Digital Nasional Bhd (DNB) and Cybersecurity Malaysia (CSM), at My5G Portal Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) here, today.
Gobind said the ministry currently has a Data Commissioner under the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) but there is no dedicated Data Commission with broader authority to regulate the data landscape.
"We will propose to the government to turn the commissioner into a commission so that it can focus more on data aspects, that to me is very important moving forward. So deep down I think maybe if not. The end of this year might be the beginning."
"In the Parliament next March, I will present PDPA amendment to establish the commission that will further strengthen data security," he added.
At the signing ceremony today, DNB and CSM signed a collaboration agreement to bolster the security of Malaysia's 5G network against cyber threats.
The partnership will see the development of 5G security guidelines, which will be used as a fundamental requirement for the telecommunications industry and serve as a guiding principle for future 5G security baseline.