Syarikat teknologi dilarang guna data awam latih model AI, kata kerajaan

Malaysia's government has banned artificial intelligence (AI) companies from using government or citizen data to train their AI models, according to Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo. This restriction is part of all government AI procurement contracts, and AI companies are also prohibited from retaining Malaysian citizen data after processing, Deo explained in a written response to Parliament.

The Government's Public Sector AI Adaptation Guidelines (GPAISA) further require agencies to minimize data and anonymize or obscure it before it is processed by AI systems, he said. The minister is currently drafting the AI Management and Governance Bill to ensure accountability for AI systems. Deo addressed Ahmad Fadhli Shaari (PN-Pasir Mas) on how the government ensures that citizen data processed by cloud AI and AI service providers remains under Malaysian control.

Only open, non-sensitive data is stored in foreign cloud services, while government data classified as sensitive or critical can only be stored in the national data center, not in any other cloud service overseas. In other words, data classified as difficult or critical can only be stored in private or hybrid cloud services based in Malaysia.

For citizen data under private sector control, cross-border transfer is controlled under Section 129 of the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA), which was amended in 2024. The amendment requires consent from the data subject for cross-border data transfer, and the receiving country's authorities must have laws equivalent to Malaysia's PDPA.

The government also requires encryption of its data to ensure that overseas service providers cannot read the contents of the data, even if requested by a foreign authority.