The Personal Data Protection Department of the Communications and Multimedia Ministry is in the midst of reviewing the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) to ensure it is up-to-date and in line with current developments.

Minister Gobind Singh Deo said the review would be premised on the need for effective and efficient implementation of the PDPA, as well as to streamline international requirements on personal data protection – including the key takeaways of the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

“Malaysia has the PDPA which was formulated in 2010, but after nine years, there are so many new developments, and it is important for the existing law to be amended to ensure that we are up-to-date with the current developments.

“There is no time frame. We began reviewing the PDPA last year, but it is still ongoing, and I hope that we will be able to formulate a new one or bring a proposed amendment to the Parliament," he told reporters after officiating the Impact of EU-GDPR In Malaysia and Non-EU Countries conference in Kuala Lumpur today.

Earlier in his keynote address, Gobind said the implementation of GDPR required comprehensive changes to business practices for companies that have yet to implement a comparable privacy laws on data protection.

As such, he said multinational companies and GLCs doing business with the EU and with its citizens should take necessary steps to comply with the GDPR.

“As for industry players, especially data users who have made preparations with regard to the PDPA, they are well positioned to embrace the GDPR."

The two-day conference, which began today, is organised by GRM Training Sdn Bhd, in collaboration with Iconic Training Solutions.

It provides an understanding of new and wide-reaching requirements from the GDPR and those rules relevant for businesses, as well as employees’ responsibilities for protecting personal information.

- Bernama