Sex video probe our top priority, says MCMC chief

KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — The investigation into the viral sex video allegedly linked to a federal minister is a top priority at the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), said MCMC chairman Al-Ishsal Ishak.

He said the Cyber Crime Committee, a collaboration between the Royal Malaysia Police and MCMC, was working actively since the video went viral on social media last Tuesday.

“We (MCMC) are doing our normal course of the investigation, of course with the police in terms of expediting the case. This is a case of national importance, so there is a priority,” he told reporters after attending the Consumer First Pledge signing ceremony between MCMC and major telecommunications companies here today.

Inspired by Communications and Multimedia Minister Gobind Singh Deo, the initiative is to raise the bar in providing superior consumer experience and commitment to better serve the consumers.

Al-Ishsal said while the police were leading the investigation, the MCMC was playing its roles as digital forensics.

He said the commission’s roles were to provide the technical assistance required by the police, identify the source and also to trace the perpetrators responsible for spreading the videos.

“The MCMC is working hard to gather all evidence in the case,” he said.

When asked whether the MCMC would examine the authenticity of the video clip, he said the Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Mazlan Mansor already said that it would be done by the police.

“MCMC is not a law enforcement agency. We act under the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998. If our help is requested by the police or other enforcement agencies, including the National Security Council, we will surely provide full technical assistance to facilitate in their investigations,” he said.

Al-Ishsal also advised the public not to upload, spread or share obscene contents online as it is against the law.

“The government, especially the MCMC and the police, will waste no time to investigate and solve such cases, especially if it affects consumers and national security,” he said.

Asked whether there was a loophole in the registration of prepaid and postpaid mobile services, Al-Ishsal said the problem arose when some registrations were made using other people’s identity.

“The law says you have to register (your personal information) to have a phone number, but some people are registering by using other people’s identity. This (identity theft) is a problem which we are looking into and trying to tackle one at a time,” he said.

He said in future, a digital identification system would be the platform to verify one’s identity for every online activity, which was also hoped to be able to curb the problems of identity fraud and fake digital accounts.

Economic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali had on Wednesday vehemently denied the allegation by an individual who attempted to link him in a sex video, calling it a nefarious plot to assassinate his reputation and character in an attempt to destroy his political career. — Bernama