Lack of transparency on MySejahtera takeover concerning
PRIVACY and data security of Covid-19 tracking application MySejahtera remains a concern amid news that the government has decided to allow the application to be sold to a private company.
(The Malaysian Reserve) – Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs CEO Tricia Yeoh said the government needs to clarify what stringent steps were taken in the selection and appointment of this particular private company.
“The sale of MySejahtera to a private entity is of particular concern, given that the data encompasses the population of Malaysia’s private health data.
“This means that whichever entity is given the responsibility to administer the application must be extremely carefully appointed. Personal and health-related information is highly sensitive and, in the wrong hands, can be misused and abused,” she told The Malaysian Reserve yesterday.
Read more: Clarify sale of MySejahtera, Anwar tells govt
Yeoh said public trust and confidence are essential for the success of any government initiative.
“Thus far, millions of Malaysians have placed their faith in the app because they believe the benefits (contact tracing, monitoring of Covid symptoms and so on) outweigh the costs (government tracking of individual locations and access to personalised data).
“However, unless the government clarifies the circumstances under which this sale was conducted, and unless there is a clear answer that inspires confidence in the reasons for doing so, the risk is that the app will no longer be trusted, which will bring upon even greater challenges for a government trying to keep the pandemic under control,” she said further.
