Platform Accountability for Disinformation, Data Protection Law, and Democracy in Malaysia

KRYSS NET & Open Net Korea’s Capacity Building and Information Exchange Workshop on Data Privacy Protection

Date & Time: 14 May 2024, 9:00 ~ 17:00
Venue: The Crescent Room, Pavilion Hotel Kuala Lumpur

Program

Plenary Session1: Case Study of Strategy  – Prof. KS Park: Data Protection Law and Future of Malaysian Data Privacy Plenary Session 2: Case Study of StrategySri Lanka (a) Ashwini Natesan: Privacy and Data Protection Strategies – Sri Lankan Experience (b) Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena: Personal Data Privacy and Personal Data Protection Strategy Workshop (c) IndiaJaanvi Sharmaa: Data Privacy & Protection (passcode: m3c@zJVZ) Strategy Session: FoE Cluster on PDPA

Summary of the Workshop

Open Net Korea in partnership with Malaysia’s Freedom of Expression (FoE) Cluster member KRYSS Network hosted a one-day strategy workshop to sensitize, contribute and accelerate the Cluster’s work in claiming Malaysians’ rights to personal data privacy and protection and to ensure such data is free from abuse and exploitation. The workshop aimed to expand the knowledge base and access to resources of the FoE Cluster members to better understand strategies in South Korea and other relevant actors in the Asian region; including an objective discussion of targeted advertising and how it inappropriately intensifies the propagation of disinformation and hate speech, curbing the free speech of vulnerable groups. Simultaneously, the workshop served as a brainstorming and planning platform to organize the Cluster’s work beyond the workshop, for its actionable concerted efforts in voicing concerns and dissent in the potential misuse of the Personal Data and Protection Act (PDPA).

In the first session, KS Park delivered the concept of the Data Protection Law and discussed the limitations and concerns of Malaysia’s Personal Data Protection Act 2010. In the second session, two regional case studies were introduced: Sri Lanka and India. Following GDPR model the PDPA was passed in 2022, currently there are concerns about conflicts with right to information legislation, and importance of public consultations and expert input was highlighted by Ashwini Natesan and Kishali Pinto-Jayawardena in the Sri Lanka case study. Jaanvi Sharma explained the Indian Data Protection Act. In early August 2023, the Indian Parliament passed the new Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDA). She noted that the lack of a privacy culture in South Asia poses a significant challenge, emphasizing the need for widespread awareness and education on data privacy.

After the two plenary sessions, a strategic group workshop was followed.

Around 30 ppl attended where more than half were women.

Korean version text