What most Malaysian companies are doing...unfortunately...

Most of us get calls, texts and emails from random strangers or companies. Surprisingly, some of them have some private information about us that we should be wary about. For example, recently I got a call from someone who knew I had just applied for a credit card from a local bank. He even quoted my new credit card number, and wanted me to reveal more private information. Makes me wonder how they got all this information. Could it be from the bank's documents containing my information that were not protected properly? Things like this sadly happens, and that is one of the many reasons why the recent Data Protection Act came into force in Malaysia. One SIMPLE way Malaysian companies can do to limit information 'leakages' is simple, that is to SHRED!

Companies often just sell their papers for recycling, and this includes confidential documents. Companies fail to realise the importance of proper document destruction and the risks involved in failing to do so. Recyclers have no fiduciary responsibility to ensure the security of the papers in their custody and control. Basically companies are left with just 2 options; destroy those confidential documents themselves or outsource it. Now, employees would not want to waste hours of their productive time just to do shredding, which is why the popular and most efficient move is to hire a 'specialist' in shredding.

And that is why MyShred Mobile is here. We shred in 10 minutes what a typical office shredder can shred in 3 hours!! Our process is secure, from locked bins in your office, until its shredded to pieces. And if you really care about the environment, we recycle! Or if you are really paranoid about the security of your document, we can let you have the shredded pieces back.

Time to move on and change our habits....we need you to encourage companies to destruct documents responsibly.

Festive Greetings!

MyShred Mobile would like to wish all Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir Batin! We will be closed from 30th July 2014 (Wednesday) until 1st August 2014 (Friday) . We will resume for business on 4th August 2014 (Monday).

Leak Private Data

NSTP 27 NOVEMBER 2013 - Leak Private Data & Pay The Price

Identity theft: Contractor landed with RM206,550 debt

KUALA LUMPUR: A contractor, who lost his identity card, has been blacklisted for not paying up a RM206,550 loan that he had no knowledge of.

Abu Bakar Ariffin, 70, said he only came know about the situation when he wanted to open a bank account last May.

"The bank told me I had failed to settle the loan for purchase of a parcel of land in Langkawi on Dec 7, 2004, when in fact I do not know anything about it," he told Bernama here today.

Abu Bakar, who used to be a stringer for Bernama in Muar, Johor in the 70s, said prior to that he had lost his identity card three times and believed it had been used by someone to apply for the loan.

He lodged a police report at the Kajang police station on Aug 25 and has also filed a complaint with  Lembaga Kesedaran Pencegahan Jenayah Malaysia (LKPJM).

He added that he planned to take legal action against the bank that gave out the loan for not practising due diligence. -- BERNAMA

Greetings of the Season and Best Wishes for the New Year!

MyShred Mobile would like to wish all a Merry Christmas and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year! We will be closed on the 25th of December 2012 (Tuesday) and will resume for business on the 26th of December 2012 (Wednesday).

Personal Data Protection Act 2010 Kickstarts 01.01.2013

KUALA LUMPUR: The Personal Data Protection Act, aimed at preventing abuse of personal data of citizens for commercial purposes, would come into force on Jan 1, said Deputy Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Joseph Salang.

 

He said the Act, which was passed by Parliament in 2010, would play a crucial role in safeguarding the interest of individuals, and made it illegal for corporate entities or individuals to sell personal information or allow the use of data by third parties.

 

Many quarters, he said, felt that the enactment of the Act was timely as it would facilitate the transfer and transmitting of personal and often very important information seamlessly.

 

"It gives the public more control over their personal data. Whenever consent is required for data processing, it'll have to be given expressly rather than impliedly or be assumed," he said in his keynote address at the Second Annual Personal Data Protection Summit, here, today.

 

He said organisations, on the other hand, would need to embark on continuous data privacy audit exercise to ensure compliance with the law as they now faced increased responsibility and accountability in processing personal data disclosed to them.

 

Salang said, to administer this piece of legislation, the Personal Data Protection Department was established on May 16, 2011. The Act was similar to legislation to protect personal data which had been enacted in other jurisdictions such as Hong Kong, New Zealand, Canada and the European Union, he said.

 

Salang said under the Act, offenders were liable to be jailed for up to two years or fined RM300,000, or both, if convicted.

 

He urged the public to be careful about information they shared online, especially in social media applications.

 

"Unfortunately, this is an 'open window' to our lives which makes it easier for those with nefarious intent to obtain information and use it for their own ends," he cautioned.

- Bernama

Woes mount as data protection enforcement sits idle

PETALING JAYA, September 30 2012 (The Star by Hariati Azizan) : Have you gone a day without receiving irritating phone calls, SMS or email messages offering personal loans, free medical check-up or new credit cards?

If your answer is “No”, you are not alone; thousands of Malaysians are bombarded with such messages daily.

If you have received many unsolicited sales calls and messages daily, then it is also likely that your data has been collected and sold to a third party without your consent.

A check of the classified sections of a few dailies by Sunday Star showed that there are still individuals and organisations who are offering databases of personal information for sale despite the public uproar they have caused in the past.

According to the National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC), which have received complaints from many consumers inundated with unsolicited calls and SMSes coaxing them to buy a service or goods, the main reason for this abuse is that Malaysia has yet to enforce the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) although it was gazetted into law in June 2010.

“The law needs to be enforced as many unscrupulous people are taking advantage of this situation to use people's personal data for transactions without their knowledge,” said NCCC senior manager Matheevani Marathandan.

Under the PPDA, it is a crime for companies to use an individual's personal data for commercial transactions without his or her consent.

It also prohibits the selling and buying of personal data.

The offence carries a maximum fine of RM500,000, a three-year jail term or both.

Prof Abu Bakar Munir, a professor of law at Universiti Malaya who was also involved in the drafting of the PDPA, said it is urgent that the Act be implemented soon.

“Personal data is the new currency of the digital world, so people are concerned about their privacy,” said Prof Abu Bakar, who was one of the speakers at a recent media forum on the PDPA's enforcement hosted by security firm Symantec.

Campaign Against Spam SMS spokesman Lim Chong Wei said the PDPA should have been enforced earlier.

“The problem is that there is too little enforcement,” he said, adding that the lack of enforcement has kept SMS spam high on the list of complaints to the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission in the last few years.

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2012/9/30/nation/12105032&sec=nation