QuickCheck: Has contactless payment been removed from the new MyKad?
THE upcoming new MyKad has been turning heads since images and videos of it began circulating on Threads, with one change in particular catching some off guard.
Gone is the contactless payment function that Malaysians have carried in their wallets for years, sparking questions about what else has changed.
Is it true that the contactless payment feature has really been removed from the new MyKad?
Verdict:
TRUE
The claim that the new MyKad no longer includes a Touch 'n Go function is true, according to a fact-check published by MyCheck.my.
National Registration Department director-general Datuk Badrul Hisham Alias confirmed that the Touch 'n Go element has been discontinued in the new version of the card.
"What is certain is that it has security features that are better than what exists now," said Badrul Hisham.
The removal of the Touch 'n Go function was made in the interest of reducing misuse and improving user security, according to the video that first circulated on Threads.
In its place, the new MyKad comes equipped with 53 security features, compared to only 23 in the current version.
The upgrades include laser engraving, ultraviolet detection features, holograms, complex guilloche patterns, microtext, a quick response (QR) code for enforcement purposes and a high-encryption chip to ensure maximum protection of user data.
Social media users have broadly welcomed the security improvements, though some noted that the absence of Touch 'n Go removes a convenience many had come to rely on for daily commuting and toll payments.
Others suggested the change was aimed at reducing the risk of crime linked to Touch 'n Go transactions, a concern that had been raised repeatedly in online discussions about the old MyKad.
Sources:
4. https://www.instagram.com/
5. https://www.instagram.com/p/
6. https://www.instagram.com/
7. https://www.facebook.com/
8. https://bernama.com/bm/news.
