Skip to main content

MySejahtera fiasco: National security at stake if data leaked to foreigners, expert says

WITH the MySejahtera app issue raging, an expert urged the Government not take the matter lightly as it involves national security. 

“The MySejahtera app not only have data and tracked movements of private individuals but also of our police officers, politicians and intelligence officers, plus their families too.  

“And now we are hearing that a foreign company is a shareholder of the company that created the app. The question is, is this foreign company have any ties to their Government or others?  

“If the answer is yes, then we may risk the data being compromised to foreigners,” Arunachala Research & Consultancy Sdn Bhd principal consultant R Paneir Selvam told FocusM.   

On March 26 health portal Code Blue revealed that the current sole shareholder of Entomo Malaysia Sdn Bhd – which legally owns the software it used to develop MySejahtera – is a company registered and based in Singapore, Entomo Pte Ltd. 

A Companies Commission of Malaysia (SSM) search showed that Entomo Pte Ltd owns 300,004 shares in Entomo Malaysia, formerly known as KPISoft Malaysia Sdn Bhd, that has issued share capital of RM300,004.  

SSM’s record on Entomo Malaysia’s shareholder particulars lists Entomo Pte Ltd, the sole shareholder, as “foreign”, with a Singapore-based address.   

According to a company search on Singapore’s Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) yesterday, Entomo Pte Ltd has four directors: Malaysian Raveenderen Ramamoothie; Singaporeans Tan Seng Hong and Finian Tan; and Indian national Naveen Pralhad Deshpande. 

But on March 31, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin stressed that the Malaysian Government owns MySejahtera’s intellectual property (IP) rights, modules, and source code, and personal data collected through the COVID-19 app. 

He added that among the main terms and conditions of the NDA signed between the National Security Council (NSC) and Entomo Malaysia on April 1, 2020, are that “the Government has full and absolute ownership of all data and information obtained through the usage of the app”. 

“I guarantee that all the data stored in MySejahtera’s database is preserved and used only for pandemic control purposes solely by the Health Ministry (MOH),” Khairy was reported as saying.  

Touching on matter, Paneir Selvam said that intelligence officers mostly work under the radar to collect information but the pandemic have compelled them to use the app for their daily routine.  

“With them scanning their presence everywhere, their movements are now quite trackable. This is why it’s important to have the app being fully controlled by our Government. 

“But is this the case with MySejahtera? If it was developed by a Singaporean firm, then we may have a situation where the data can get compromised,” he mentioned.  

On Khairy’s assurances that the data is owned by the Malaysian Government, Paneir Selvam reminded the minister on how hackers have evolved over the years. 

He then queried whether the Government had tested its technological prowess to check whether the data would never get compromised should hacking takes place.  

“The question is, why give the project to a company linked to a foreign firm in the first place? Who approved this?” Paneir Selvam asked.  

Probe the matter   

On how to remedy the situation, he urged the Government to transfer all the data back to Malaysia, in the event it was not, and mortify it so as to make it inaccessible even to its original developer.  

Secondly, Paneir Selvam said the Special Branch and the military intelligence must also investigate whether data stored under the MySejahtera app has been compromised.  

“I have also read reports that a local company is willing to replicate and improve the app from scratch for just RM6 mil. It also claims that its software can be enhanced with a Geographical Information System (GIS) which can gather data for visualisation and analysis for pandemic crisis management. 

“Plus, the company is willing to transfer all the data back to the Government to be managed. Why not we consider the proposal?  

“In any case, we should never allow any firms linked to foreigners to deal with our data,” he remarked. – April 3, 2022

 Source: https://focusmalaysia.my/mysejahtera-fiasco-national-security-at-stake-if-data-leaked-to-foreigners-expert-says/ 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Constitution of Malaysia: An Introduction Part 5

7 (1) No person shall be punished for an act or omission which was not punishable by law when it was done or made, and no person shall suffer greater punishment for an offence than was prescribed by law at the time it was committed. (2) A person who has been acquitted or convicted of an offence shall not be tried again for the same offence except where the conviction or acquittal has been quashed and a retrial ordered by a court superior to that by which he was acquitted or convicted.

Brexit: A lesson for Malaysians

Yesterday, Britons through a referendum made a decision to leave European Union. The ruling Conservative Party divided on this referendum and David Cameron in favour of ‘Remain’ was defeated outright. Even though he is disagreed with the decision of Britons, he announced that he is resigning from his premiership in respect of people’s decision. We can expect in a mature democracy country like United Kingdom this is vastly anticipated to be transpired.   A few days ago, the current Chief Commissioner of Malaysian Anti-Corruption of Commission made a statement that he is stepping down from his position and there are some rumours indicating that a few prominent officers from the said Commission will either resign or retire. It’s very eccentric news for Malaysians as it will have a profound impact on bribery and corruption issues in Malaysia as a whole. Recently, the results of two by elections were won by Barisan Nasional, the ruling party of Malaysia. Many promises had been...

Trump's role in the Israel-Hamas ceasefire

As the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, scheduled to commence on Jan 19, 2025, approaches, it is essential to examine the potential impact of president-elect Donald Trump on this event and Middle East security. Considering Trump’s past foreign policy actions, especially those concerning Israel, alongside the wider geopolitical environment, his prospective role in shaping the ceasefire and future peace initiatives is intricate and layered. Historical influence Trump’s initial term as president was characterised by a robust endorsement of Israel, a position that resonated with his domestic political supporters and simultaneously altered US foreign policy, thereby impacting the wider dynamics of the Middle East. Key actions during this period included the formal acknowledgement of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, the transfer of the US embassy to that city, and the withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement. These measures solidified his rapport with Israeli leadership and exemplified his ...