Streaming company manager gets RM21,000 fine for data theft

KUALA LUMPUR – A former company manager was fined RM21,000 by the sessions court here today for transferring confidential customer data. The data was taken from a company that supplies streaming television and video content to hotels without permission between 2016 and 2020. 

Judge Azura Alwi handed down the sentence on Teo Kia Lim, 45, after she pleaded guilty to the three charges. 

The court fined her RM7,000 for each charge or imprisonment for 30 months if the accused failed to pay the fine. 

According to the first to third charges, the woman was charged with unauthorised access to confidential customer data belonging to Syarikat Vision Four Multimedia Sdn Bhd (VFMM) by copying or transferring the data to her private email to obtain the data without permission from the company’s owner, Steven Harold Day, 72. 

The three offences were committed at Syarikat Vision in Jalan Liku, Bangsar here between 10.21am to 4.41pm, December 29, 2016, to August 26, 2020, under Section 3 (1)(b) of the Computer Crimes Act 1997 and can be punished under Section 3 (3) of the same act which carries a fine not exceeding RM50,000 or imprisonment for a maximum of five years or both. 

Deputy public prosecutor Nurilya Ellyna Nor Azmal sought the appropriate punishment as a lesson to the accused, but counsel Segaren who represented Teo asked for a minimum fine on the grounds that her client is a single mother and supports an infirm mother, and has no record of past criminal offences other than giving cooperation throughout the police investigation. 

Based on the facts of the case, the complainant is a founder and chief executive of VFMM. He filed a police report after the accused, who was his former employee had previously used customer information, including customer data and business partners of the complainant’s company to promote the same type of business after the accused established another company.  

VFMM conducts the business of distribution, supply and streaming of television and video content to hotels in the country. – Bernama, May 5, 2023