Malaysian officials jam mobiles to frustrate spies

MALAYSIA: Malaysia has banned mobile phones and installed electronic jamming devices in key parts of its administrative capital to block spying on official discussions, a newspaper said on Monday.

“The widespread use of these devices, especially handphones with camera facilities, has serious implications on security,” the Star newspaper quoted Malaysia’s top bureaucrat, Mohamed Sidek Hassan, as saying in a recent message to officials.

Mohamed Sidek also asked department heads to designate areas where official matters are discussed as “information security zones,” the paper added.

There have been no security breaches or leaks of sensitive information to Internet sites, security official Johari Jamaluddin told the paper. He confirmed that jamming equipment had been installed in some rooms of government buildings in Putrajaya, the administrative capital, but declined to identify them.

Kuala Lumpur, Monday, Reuters