Gobind: Data protection chief to get own team

KUALA LUMPUR: Efforts are being taken to beef up the role of the Personal Data Protection Commissioner with the establishment of a commission under him, says Gobind Singh (pic).

The Digital Minister said he will propose the setting up of a commission to assist the commissioner in ensuring that personal data is protected at all times.

“This is also to update our laws to ensure that we will be able to use our data securely to facilitate technological developments such as Artificial Intelligence (AI),” he told The Star in an interview yesterday.

On July 14 last year, the Personal Data Protection Department (PDP) announced that in line with Article 47(1) of the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), Prof Dr Mohd Nari Kama was appointed as the Personal Data Protection Commissioner effective from June 15, 2023, till May 7, 2025.

Gobind said he hoped to move certain amendments to the Personal Data Protection Act in the first quarter of next year.

“We started the PDPA in 2010 and at that point we did not realise the impact of AI.

“Now it is 2024, there is a need for us to amend the laws and also see how we can encourage the private sector to stay up to date with the latest requirements in ensuring that the data they have is safe.

“We are trying to encourage awareness among the people that they need to be careful when it comes to data.

“We made it a point to create penal consequences in the event there is a data breach,” said Gobind.

Previously, The Star highlighted in a series of reports that there have been calls by cybersecurity experts for the PDP to be revamped to assuage public fear over how their personal data is stored and protected.

A source familiar with the department told The Star that it needed “teeth” to enforce the Personal Data Protection Act 2010.

This, the source said, would indirectly instil public confidence in government initiatives such as Padu and the national Digital ID.

“The department must boost its enforcement unit because the Digital ID is still at risk should government agencies not be covered in amendments to the PDPA,” said the source.