Your data or your life: Can we have both?

Essential app: By October, nationwide registration of MySejahtera reached more than 60% of the country’s population, which is the threshold for an effective contact tracing ecosystem according to a recent Oxford University study.

With no foreseeable end in sight for the Covid-19 pandemic, some Malaysians are growing concerned about the long-term accumulation of their personal data for contact tracing. It is important to strike a balance between data privacy and public health, say experts.

EFFECTIVE contact tracing is necessary if we are to combat Covid-19. And for that to happen, Malaysians will have to be willing to share some of their personal data with the authorities – their names, contact details and the places they visit.

It, however, also underscores how important it is for those collecting the data to ensure that the information they use is secure and safe from misuse.