KUALA LUMPUR – Data protection is vital and will become increasingly important in the years ahead as transactions become more digital and interconnected, Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil said.
“I think these kinds of concern are very warranted. I cannot speak for those agencies. But how we handle data and how we protect data will be increasingly important in the years to come,” he said when asked on rising concerns among the general public on data leakages even within government agencies.
“Data is the new oil. It’s the currency that will keep the wheels of the economy rolling. And if we are not able to protect our data it will be a problem for us,” he told the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) in an exclusive interview recently.
The interview was with Bernama editor-in-chief Arul Rajoo Duraj Raj, acting deputy editor-in-chief of news services Mohd Shukri Ishak and executive editor of economic news services M. Saraswathi.
Hence, the Minister stressed that it is important that data is well protected and securely encrypted otherwise it will pose a serious challenge for governments, people and businesses.
World Bank, in its blog earlier this year, said the future of data protection is not just about safeguarding privacy but about enabling responsible data-sharing that drives progress across sectors.
Strong frameworks ensure that the right data is shared with the right people for the right purposes.
For instance, it said in healthcare, privacy-preserving mechanisms allow researchers to collaborate across borders while safeguarding patient privacy.
It is also to be noted that countries are increasingly mandating data storage within national borders due to concerns regarding national security and citizens’ privacy, said the bank. – December 24, 2025