The Malaysian Personal Data Protection Act 2010: A Legislation Note

Modern information technology allows people to do things that would not have been possible before in a fast and easy way. The significant role of information in the global economy and the implications of collection, use, processing and disclosure of personal data have raised concerns over the issues which need addressing in terms of protection. Data protection law was developed to protect personal information from being misused and manipulated. The Malaysian Personal Data Protection Act 2010 was modelled on international data protection laws with focus on the protection of personal data in commercial transactions. This note will scrutinise the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 from a privacy point of view and suggest ways to overcome the shortcomings. It is suggested that the limit of commercial transactions should be removed to include non-commercial transactions if the Act is to protect personal data in its widest sense.