Not 'Big Brother': Govt assures mega database Padu is secure

EXCLUSIVE | The government’s announcement of a mega database that can provide socio-economic profiles of all 10 million households in Malaysia was met with mixed reactions.

One concern is that Pengkalan Data Utama (Padu), announced during the 12th Malaysia Plan mid-term review, is heralding an era of ‘Big Brother’ government and heightened surveillance in Malaysia.

Various incidences of public data leaks have also raised concerns about the security of such a database.

But Economy Minister Rafizi Ramli, who is spearheading the initiative, rejects these notions and is certain the database will not infringe on individual data privacy and protection.

“To me, as long as...