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In an age where personal data is a valued commodity, strict laws and regulations have been put in place to protect them.

Computer science and cybersecurity experts work day and night to build digital security measures so consumers and businesses have peace of mind when it comes to the private and personal information on our devices.

On the legal side of things, Malaysia enforces the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (Act 7109), which regulates how businesses handle personal information in commercial transactions. It mandates that organizations obtain explicit user consent, disclose the purpose of data collection, and maintain data security.

However, the rules still get violated at times by irresponsible individuals for either their own benefit, or others.

A woman allegedly posted influencer-chef’s phone bill details on social media

Food influencer and internet chef Khairul Aming, whose real name is Khairul Amin Kamarulzaman, recently shared on social media platform Threads about an account owned by another user which allegedly exposed some information of his phone bill.

The caption on his post read: “Asking for an explanation from Maxis how my personal phone bill got leaked.”

He posted a screenshot of the post made by Threads user @qiu_le_fleur who said that she hoped she could inform “KA” of their overdue bill of RM498.

While Khairul Aming is widely known by the public as KA, there is no confirmation that the woman was referring to him specifically in her post.

In the same screenshot, Khairul responded to the post, saying that the overdue bill should not be shared and that it is a personal matter.

“But what’s creepy here is how do you know my Maxis phone bill details and even posted it for the public to see? This is my personal data,” he said.

View on Threads

Many called for Khairul to invoke the Personal Data Protection Act

In the comments section, the public urged the viral food content creator to put the PDPA to the test.

Some also speculated that she might be working for the telecommunications provider (telco), and has handled personal data irresponsibly.

One Threads user also shared a screenshot of another post allegedly made by the same account where the individual had supposedly shared Khairul’s Mysara (Malaysian government cashless cash aid programme) balance.

The account has since disappeared from Threads.

View on Threads

Meanwhile, many others began expressing their concern about using the same telecommunications provider, and considered switching to a different one.

At time of writing, there has been no response on the issue from the telco company.

According to the Department of Personal Data Protection, organizations failing to adhere to the seven data protection principles (such as Security, Disclosure, and Retention) face maximum penalties of up to RM 1,000,000 and 3 years in prison.

For individuals breaching the Act, they may be fined up to RM300,000 or sentenced to a maximum of two years in prison, or both.

READ MORE: MCMC To Probe Alleged Personal Data Leak Involving Khairul Aming

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