Tag Archives: PII

Malaysia data privacy is still shambolic

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2 years ago, I wrote an article on LinkedIn titled “Malaysia, when will you take data privacy seriously?“. What has changed? Very little. 

Last Friday I received an SMS and a WhatsApp message from an ex-bank employee who was terminated from a complaint I made (not about him) about the bank violating my data privacy. The bank and/or their agents have been calling my number for several years (more than 5), and I have made numerous (many, many) requests not to be called or have my name deleted from their calling database. This has fallen into deaf ears until I decided to take matters into my own hands.

Red means NO!

In May of this year, I decided to use Twitter to tweet my unpleasant experiences and my displeasure to the bank’s Twitter handle. They responded with canned replies and made promises that really did not amount to anything. Right after my 2nd last complaint to date, the following day I got another telemarketer from the bank calling me (again) trying to sell me their insurance package. By now, I already got their head of customer advocacy center’s contact and I called him to complain again. This complaint got this telemarketer from the bank fired. Friday, this ex-employee sent me a WhatsApp and an SMS message telling his side of the story, asked me to withdraw my complaint and have him reinstated.

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Relinquishing Freedom in our Digital Future

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There was a TV cartoon show I loved when I was a kid called “Wait till your Father gets home“. I was probably 5 or 6 then, but I can still remember the mother was practically nagging all the time of having the father to come back to deal with the problems and issues caused by the kids, and sometimes the dog.

This patriarchal mentality of having the male manning (yeah, it is not a gender neutral word) the household is also, unfortunately, mimicked in our societies, in general, being obedient and subservient to the government of the day. This is especially true in East Asian societies, .

While dissent of this mindset is sprouting in the younger generation of these societies, you can see the dichotomy of the older generation and the younger one in the recent protests in Thailand and the on-going one in Myanmar. The older generation is likely fearful of the consequences and there are strong inclinations to accept and subject their freedom to be ruled by the rulers of the day. It is almost like part of their psyche and DNA.

So when I read the article published by Data Storage Asean titled “Malaysians Optimistic on Giving the Government Increased Access to Personal Data for Better Services“, I was in two minds. Why are we giving away our Personal Data when we do not get a guarantee that the our privacy is protected?

Data Privacy should be in our own hands

Why are we giving away our freedom in new digital Malaysia when in history, we have not been truly protected of that freedom? 

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