Lawyer Questions Proposed Mydigital Id Mandate Amid Data Leak Fears

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 Foong Cheng Leong says breaches may still occur even though the system does not store personal data.
Federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the voluntary registration model for the digital ID system is a limitation that the government is looking to address.PETALING JAYA: A lawyer has poured cold water on the government’s proposal to make MyDigital ID registration mandatory, saying concerns over data security and personal information leaks remain unresolved
Foong Cheng Leong, deputy chair of the Bar Council’s intellectual property committee, said although the system did not store personal data, breaches could still occur.
“The public is still traumatised by previous data leaks. No one has ever been held accountable for those incidents,” he told FMT.
He was commenting on the government’s announcement that it is considering legislation to regulate and strengthen the MyDigital ID system in the face of public scepticism.
Federal territories minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the current voluntary registration model for the digital ID system was a limitation that the government was looking to address.
Foong said the government lacked the manpower to effectively handle all public complaints, unlike private sector organisations which typically establish dedicated departments for customer issues.
“If a user suffers a loss due to government negligence, it’s difficult to obtain compensation. The government is also protected under the Public Authorities Protection Act 1948,” he said.
He added that not all verification of identity should be done through MyDigital ID alone, and that Malaysians should be given the option to register through alternative digital platforms such as through electronic Know-Your-Customer (e-KYC).
Another legal expert, Wan Ahmad Fauzi Wan Husain, urged the government to clarify whether weaknesses in the MyDigital ID system had led to the creation of multiple platforms such as MySejahtera, the Central Database System, and Budi Madani.
MyDigital ID, a national digital identification initiative developed in 2016, is aimed at providing a secure and authenticated method of verifying identities online.
Wan Ahmad Fauzi, an associate professor at International Islamic University Malaysia, said the government must be transparent about the effectiveness of existing systems and the rationale for introducing new ones that appeared to have overlapping functions.
He also asked if the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit had failed to foresee the potential risks involved.
“There needs to be a clear and comprehensive review, and the government must holistically address the broader challenges of digitalisation.
“It should also assess the capabilities of existing systems before rolling out new ones. There must be strong justification to avoid wasteful spending,” he said. - FMT

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