Towards a National ID
The initiative can have ‘far-reaching’ implications and will be able to ‘supplement’ the functions that the current Mykad is able to offer, say industry players
NOT many are aware but the Communications and Multimedia Ministry revealed quite recently that it will spearhead the National Digital Identity initiative (National ID), putting the country on the same track as its neighbours such as Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Indonesia which are also in the midst of rolling out the initiative.
These Asean countries are one of the first in the region to do so but what exactly is the National ID initiative?
According to industry definitions, it is a verifiable platform used to identify and verify an individual’s identity in the cyber world.
“Imagine your Mykad and the information it holds..., this National ID will be supplemented by more biometric features such as facial recognition and fingerprints, making the ID more unique to one individual, and hence more secure,” says an industry person.
The National ID, according to a government website, “is for the use of government and private service sectors mainly to meet the needs to verify identities of individuals who access electronic services, perform transactions and digital signatures provided by them.”
To be sure, the National ID is not meant to replace the current ID card, the Mykad, and is not compulsory for everyone.
In Malaysia, the establishment of the initiative’s framework is being led by PWC, and a white paper on it is expected in June.
For the man-on-the-street, the National ID could have “far-reaching” implications and will be able to “supplement” the current functions that the current Mykad is able to offer, says one industry observer.
“With so many more biometric features, it will be able to hold much more information,” he adds.
According to the government website, some 90% of Malaysian government services are already online, while e-commerce users penetration is at 61.6%, suggesting that such a National ID could be timely.
In Singapore, Kwok Quek Sin, senior director (National Digital Identity) at Govtech Singapore says that the initiative “involves issuing Singaporeans and residents a crypto-based mobile digital identity which they can use for both government and private sector transactions, to bring more convenience to citizens, as they need not remember multiple usernames and passwords for access to digital services.”
In an article carried by Techradar, which is part of Future US Inc, a media group and digital publisher, Kwok further elaborates, saying that “another important aspect of the national digital identity programme is to create a trusted digital ecosystem, where data and services can transcend the boundaries of systems, organisations and countries.”
“It will also increase opportunities for government-citizen co-creation.”
“Businesses can look forward to a suite of products that can be readily integrated into their offerings to improve customer service and internal business processes,” Kwok writes.
The issue of trust
With the thought of a National ID looming, should the issue of security come to mind? Quite the contrary, according to cybersecurity firm Secure-metric Bhd CEO Edward Law Seeh Key.
Law says one of the ways a digital ID could in fact, protect personal information is through data abstraction, also known as the replacement of sensitive private identifiers with less risky information. “For example, “tokens” consisting of randomly generated numbers could take the place of names, IC or account numbers, allowing people to share information securely while reducing the risk of fraud or identity theft.
“With a national digital ID, we can eliminate lots of redundant paperwork and data submission as we can share those needed data instantly with the consent from the user.
“Obviously, we should also consider the benefits versus risks in this aspect,” Law tells Starbizweek.
He points out that a combination of ever-more accurate facial recognition, document verification and a wider variety of verifiable identity sources (data and signals) increasingly powered by artificial intelligence (AI), is enabling service providers to adopt digital identity and document verification services in increasing numbers.
“It may still not be 100% but the question is even at physical verification, can it be 100% when humans are involved in the process?”
According to him, with a national Digital ID being in place, all Malaysian citizens will have a trusted and proven ID in the virtual world and this will help improve governance where the government can gain access to useful data whenever needed.
It also helps to achieve a single digital credential for all e-service providers which can undoubtedly further promote the Malaysian National Digital Agenda initiative, he adds.