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Archive 2003 >>
Leaving MyKad at guardhouse under review
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Leaving MyKad at guardhouse under review
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New Straits Times, July 10, 2003
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KUALA LUMPUR, July 9:The practice of surrendering identity cards to security
guards before entering certain premises may have to be changed since the smart
chip-based MyKad contains highly sensitive personal information, National
Registration Department directorgeneral Datuk Azizan Ayob said.
He said the Government was aware of the apprehension among the public about
leaving their MyKad at guardhouses and was looking for ways to resolve the
matter.
"We understand the public's apprehension although we have given an assurance
that MyKad has a very high security level.
"Considering the various information and applications in MyKad and with
advanced knowledge of information technology readily available, the practice
may need to be changed." Azizan said there was a need to think of new ways to
resolve the matter.
He said although it was the discretion of owners of premises to ask visitors to
surrender their identity cards, the public should only surrender their MyKad to
guards at gazetted protected areas.
He was speaking after the launch of "MyKad for Mimos Intranet and Internet"
applications in Mimos Berhad today.
Mimos is the first organisation in the country to use the Public Key
Infrastructure (PKI) application in MyKad to secure all its Intranet and
Internet transactions.
The PKI technology is embedded in MyKad with the new 64K chip (which replaces
the previous 32K chip) and provides key functions which include user
identification, message integrity and digital signature.
Mimos collaborated with the Government in the MyKad PKI project last year.
Azizan said although so far more than five million MyKad had been issued by the
department, many of its features were under-utilised.
"The number of applications for MyKad has surpassed the five million mark, some
3.5 million people have the MEPS cash feature, less than half a million have
the Touch 'n Go, slightly more than three million with the automated teller
machine feature and 2.5 million have the PKI application." He said many people
were still not aware of the various applications that MyKad had apart from it
being an identity card and driving licence.
He said most people did not know that they had to initialise their chip to
activate the application such as ATM and MEPS features at their respective
banks.
Mimos president and chief executive officer Dr Tengku Mohd Azzman Shariffadeen
said Mimos was showing the way to fully utilise the MyKad features.
"Any other organisation can do this and we are willing to share what we have
done with others." To date only a few hundred Mimos staff have the MyKad but it
would be made compulsory for new employees to have it.
By using the PKI-enabled MyKad, Mimos staff can access the Mimosnet Intranet
and conduct online transactions.
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