Safeguarding Consumers Privacy in Malaysia's Digital Economy Landscape

This study aims to explore the extent of application of the Personal Data Protection Act 2010 (PDPA) in Malaysia with regard to protecting privacy and avoiding the misuse of personal data when it comes to consumers buying from businesses operating through online platforms. It intends to determine the challenges faced by e-commerce platforms in ensuring the protection of private data from cyber-attacks and cyber troops and the issue of regulating cross-border data flows. This study also compares the PDPA with the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Australia’s Privacy Act 1988 to identify improvements to the PDPA to make it more comprehensive and cater to the e-commerce industry. The study reveals that the PDPA provides protection for consumers buying from online platform businesses. However, there is a need for proactive cybersecurity measures by the online platforms operators to ensure the private data of the consumers are protected from cyber-attacks. Cross-border data flow is also a concern due to the lack of rules between nations on the mechanism to regulate data across borders. The EU’s GDPR is a possible solution, which also strengthens data protection and business opportunities in the digital market which is lacking in the PDPA. It would also be beneficial for Malaysia to look into Australia’s Privacy Act 1988 as a benchmark for how non-EU state legislation adapts to the GDPR. These reforms ensure alignment with the SDG goals.