MCMC blocks 581 million dubious SMS - Teo

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 581 million dubious short message services (SMS) have been blocked throughout 2021 until May 31 this year, says Deputy Communications and Digital Minister Teo Nie Ching.

She said a total of 237,999 mobile and fixed lines found to have sent questionable SMS were also terminated within the same period.

"Technically there are many things that must be investigated before making such restrictions such as ensuring that the uniform resource locator (URL) link of the SMS received by users is only an intermediary to a portal or application.

"...there is no specific method that can verify that links included in the SMS are authentic or otherwise due to constraints such as the links usually use foreign domain names and are hosted in another country and the inability to identify the provided links are related to phishing," she said.

She was responding to a question from Senator Datuk Seri S. Vell Paari during a question-and-answer session at Dewan Negara today.

Vell Paari wanted to know why it was only recently that the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) issued an order to all telecommunication companies to block any URL link in the SMS to prevent consumers from becoming victims of online fraud.

Meanwhile, replying to a supplementary question from Senator Dominic Lau Hoe Chai regarding personal data protection, Teo said the Ministry of Communications and Digital (KKD) is reviewing the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Act 709) and is expected to be tabled in Parliament next year.

"KKD is reviewing the act to tighten the law to ensure that we can provide more extensive protection to the people so that our personal data cannot be misused," she said.

-- BERNAMA