Malaysia to focus on security and privacy for its biometric NID initiative

Although MyKad, the country’s multi-purpose biometric digital identity card, will not be replaced by the NID initiative, it will be used alongside. The Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu) will be leading the framework, in collaboration with Malaysia’s National Cyber Security Agency (Nacsa). Also, CyberSecurity Malaysia has been formed to find the best solution in terms of data security.

Identity verification can be made physically with MyKad and online, which could also prevent cyber-issues such as identity fraud and document falsification. In addition, the digital identity could be used for electronic healthcare records, online government services, digital KYC by financial institutions, and authentication for government benefits distribution among others. The system will include support for biometric verification with facial, fingerprint or iris recognition.