PETALING JAYA: The intention by Putrajaya to sell the MySejahtera application to private company MySJ Sdn Bhd has sparked widespread concern among Malaysians that regulatory or security breaches may put their privacy at risk.
Many took to social media on Sunday (March 27) to express concerns that their personal information and daily activity logs could be exposed or even misused.
"MySejahtera was a necessity in the pandemic to track & trace. It also holds invaluable data on all Malaysians that can be monetised if not careful," Twitter user Farhan (@lamkanahraf) said.
Another Twitter user, who goes by the username @kkrish_kumar22, stressed that the application contains sensitive and personal information of citizens that should not simply be turned over to a private firm.
"MySejahtera has so much sensitive and personal data like IC & passport numbers, addresses, health records, movement records...
"Knowing how data breaches are so common, we should be worried about this data being handed to a private company on a silver platter," he said.
Some social media users even suggested that Malaysians should stop using the application altogether, in order to protect personal information from possible leaks.
However, some disagreed with removing the application entirely as it could cause inconvenience, and suggested that the people wait for answers from the authorities instead.
"Don't be ridiculous and rush to delete the app. It will just cause massive inconvenience and hassle as we need to check in everywhere we go.
"What you should do instead is demand answers, accountability and action to improve," Twitter user Azrul Mohd Khalib (@azrulmohdkhalib) said.
Klang MP Charles Santiago also weighed in on Twitter, saying that the sale could "threaten security and democracy".
"So, here’s the thing: the government must quit making unilateral decisions, be transparent and learn to honour its word.
"And in this case, it needs the buy-in of the people who have been using the MySejahtera application. Would it get approval? The answer is a resounding No!" he said.
MySejahtera was created by KPISoft as a corporate social responsibility initiative. Since then, it has become an essential part of the national health system.
In November, the Cabinet reportedly agreed to sell the app to a private company through direct negotiation.
In December, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) suggested that the government should take over the app.
Health Ministry officials called to testify before the PAC then said MySJ had no links to KPISoft, which has since changed its name to Entomo.
However, in a Facebook post on Sunday, Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the claim that the two companies were not connected must be investigated.
links to individuals' tweets below:
[https://twitter.com/lamkanahraf/status/1507885177745260544]
[https://twitter.com/kkrish_kumar22/status/1507895600427110402]
[https://twitter.com/simtzetzin/status/1507953067865489408]
[https://twitter.com/kaerumy/status/1507898424158736388]
[https://twitter.com/azrulmohdkhalib/status/1507942647323062272]
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