MySejahtera sale raises concerns about data privacy of millions, says Anwar

PETALING JAYA: The sale of MySejahtera to a private company must be explained as it raises concerns for the private health-related information of millions of Malaysians, says Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He said the sale of MySejahtera raised substantial concerns about data privacy and the potential abuse of private health-related data of millions of Malaysians.

“MySejahtera has recorded, according to Health Ministry data published on its GitHub portal, over 11 billion check-ins since December 2020.

“This data contains intimate details about people’s personal preferences, consumption patterns and social networks.

“We assume that MySejahtera databases also include private personal health data about an individual’s reported health symptoms and Covid-19 positive diagnosis.

“The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) was informed that all data in MySejahtera and its confidentiality is under the control of the Health Ministry,” he said.

He also claimed that MySJ Sdn Bhd, the private company concerned, has links with KPISoft, the firm that originally built the app as a corporate social responsibility (CSR) project.

The Opposition Leader said a PAC hearing on March 24 had questioned the sale of the Covid-19 tracking app.

“The government’s decision to give up control of MySejahtera was made by the Cabinet during a meeting on Nov 26.

“Approval was given to the Health Ministry to appoint MySJ by direct negotiation to take over the app.

“However, in December, the PAC recommended that the government take over the operation of MySejahtera without incurring any additional costs given that it has become an integral part of the national health system.

“The Health Ministry officers who testified before the PAC claimed that MySJ is not related to KPISoft, which has since changed its name to Entomo,” he said in a Facebook post on Sunday (March 27).

Anwar, who is also PKR president, added that the claim that there is no link between KPISoft or Entomo and MySJ must be investigated.

“The directors of MySJ include two founders of KPISoft.

"The directors of MySJ also include individuals with political and business connections to parties in the ruling coalition government, including Tan Sri Shahril Shamsuddin, who was the CEO of Sapura Energy until March last year and Tan Sri Megat Najmuddin Megat Khas, who was an Umno division chief and later a senior member of Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia,” he said.

Anwar pointed out that 81.4% of MySJ is owned by another company, Revolusi Asia Sdn Bhd, of which 88% is owned by the founders of KPISoft.

“In other words, 71.2% of MySJ is owned by two co-founders of KPISoft, which built MySejahtera.

“To say that there is no link between KPISoft or Entomo and MySJ is not accurate.

“Under an open tender, these facts would be scrutinised by the government and the public.

“In the case of direct negotiation, this deal appears to resemble a pattern of rewarding companies and individuals that have political and business connections with the ruling government.

“MySJ Sdn Bhd includes directors whose expertise in operating a software or information technology business were not clear and thus, raised further concerns about the logic of this direct award to the company,” he said.

Anwar also urged the Cabinet to clarify the decision made to sell MySejahtera instead of allowing the application to remain under the Health Ministry's control.

“Why was a public tender not conducted to make the sale transparent?

“What are the reasons for MySJ being the only company under consideration for this project?

“Does the government frequently reward individuals or companies that conduct CSR for the benefit of the Malaysian people with lucrative contracts?

“What is MySJ’s scope of work as it pertains to the operation of MySejahtera and how is the Health Ministry able to ensure that the data collected by MySejahtera will not be misused by third parties including MySJ?

“Are the terms of this contract in compliance with past assurances given by the Health Ministry regarding the appropriate use of Malaysians’ personal private health data, MySejahtera’s data privacy policy, and the country’s data privacy laws?

“What are the MySJ obligations to ensure that the data which Malaysians share via MySejahtera on the basis of a public mandate will not be used for marketing, product development, surveillance, or discriminatory purposes?” the Port Dickson MP asked.