KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 1 ― Putrajaya said today it has no information on claims that its agencies had purchased software to spy on Malaysians, adding that it prioritises private information and public privacy.
In a written parliamentary reply to Subang MP R. Sivarasa, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak also said that the privacy rights of Malaysians are enshrined under laws like the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission Act.
“In Malaysia, the government ensures that private information and secrets are protected so that it will not be abused by irresponsible individuals,” Najib said.
“This ministry does not have any information related to the acquisition of the spyware, the remote control system (RCS), by the government to spy on the people.”
Sivarasa had in a November 3 parliamentary query asked Najib to state his views on claims that agencies such as the Prime Minister's Department have purchased spyware to spy on Malaysians.
Putrajaya had also denied on November 23 that they purchased spyware from an Italian security company in March last year.
In July, an unidentified hacker, or group of hackers, leaked Hacking Team’s internal documents, source codes and email communications, revealing invoices that showed the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) buying RCS from the online security vendor.
An excerpt of the invoice published in a report by CSO Online listed the PMO as an “Active” client as at March 31 this year, while MACC’s maintenance contract was listed as “Expired” as at January 31 last year.
Invoices contained in the released data, torrented by the hacker that goes by the name Phineas Fisher, linked the company to at least 36 countries around the world.
Aside from Malaysia, the list includes Egypt, Ethiopia, Morocco, Nigeria, Sudan, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, the US, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Australia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland, Bahrain, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE.
