MIMOS Bhd, the implementing agency of the MyDigital ID initiative has given its assurance that the online identification system is safe and there will be no breach or leakage of user data.

Its techno-venture chief Saat Shukri Embong said this was because the agency did not store any personal user data, and that its servers only processed the identification of an individual during a transaction.

Mimos, he said, only verified the identity of the user based on existing government databases, such as that of the National Registration Department, before issuing a digital certificate to the user.

“The database is all under the care of the government, we (Mimos) do not receive or store any data, we do not store the user’s digital certificate, and we have no source of authority because all of this is protected by the act,” he said during a briefing session on MyDigital ID with Mimos at the Communications and Digital Ministry in Putrajaya, today.

While explaining that the digital certificate was unique and only owned by the user through their respective devices, Saat said even if digital identity theft occurred, it could be due to users sharing their device passwords or their phones being hacked.

He said if an individual’s phone was lost, or stolen, they could call the Mimos hotline to request for the digital certificate to be cancelled, and the user would then have to re-register to get a new digital certificate.

He said Mimos referred to several countries such as Estonia, India, Singapore, Canada and Australia as benchmarks for digital identity development, but MyDigital ID was produced based on local needs and use cases in collaboration with local universities.

Denying claims by some parties that the system was developed in haste, Saat said the MyDigital ID initiative had been in place since 2016 when Mimos carried out the Integrated Authentication Platform research project as part of technology development under the 11th Malaysia Plan.

On the time frame for the implementation of MyDigital ID, he said the registration process would begin with members of the administration, policymakers and civil servants, before it is extended to government beneficiaries based on the Central Database Hub beginning in March next year.

Registration for the general public is expected to begin in July 2024.

MyDigital ID is a form of digital identification and verification system that will be used by the public and private sectors, to verify the identity of users when making transactions online.

Prime Minister Anwar became the first person to register and have a digital identity. On November 21, Anwar, who is also finance minister, announced an allocation of RM80 million to Mimos to speed up the implementation of MyDigital ID and empower digital transformation, as well as to develop digital initiatives, especially involving dealings with the government. – Bernama, December 6, 2023.