Malaysia’s digital ID enrollment postponed, mDL faces glitches

Malaysia’s digital identity project MyDigital ID is postponing enrollment for the public until May. That same month, financial institutions, including banks, insurance firms and wallet companies will be able to use the digital ID for eKYC (electronic Know Your Customer) and authorizing transactions.

Its rollout was originally planned for March but although the system is ready, delays have been introduced to allow integration with more websites and mobile apps. The digital ID is currently being integrated with government agency platforms, according to My Digital ID Sdn Bhd, the company managing the project and a subsidiary of the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems (Mimos).

MyDigital ID kicked off enrollment in December 2023 and plans for a rollout in four phases. According to earlier announcements, the app will be available to the general public by July. The digital identification and self-verification platform will be used in parallel with the country’s ID card MyKad as a single sign-on system for applications such as government services and online transactions.

The company’s CEO Mohd Mirza Mohamed said that he hopes the system will be used in cross-border transactions in the future and as an example for other countries implementing digital IDs, Malaysian newspaper The Star reports.

New integrations for MyDigital ID

MyDigital ID is currently integrated with the government’s digital services and human resources platforms, MyGov Portal and HRMIS, as well as the country’s COVID-19 tracking app MySejahtera. Integration with the Primary Data Base System (PADU) is targeted for April while adding the country’s digital driving license system (mDL) MyJPJ will begin at a later date.

PADU, or Pangkalan Data Utama in Malay, was launched in January as a national socioeconomic database of combined data from various governmental departments. The system is aimed at providing insights on household income to the government for distributing aid and subsidies and shaping economic policies.

The system, however, has been met with suspicion over its collection of data. Only around half of the targeted 22 million Malaysians, some 9.24 million people, registered for the PADU before its three-month deadline ended on March 28. To register, citizens were required to submit information on household members, work and other details.

Troubles with Malaysia’s mDL

The Malaysian government has been trying to reassure the public that the MyDigital ID and PADU systems will be safe amid increasing cases of hacks and identity theft. The country’s mobile driving license (mDL) project, however, seems to have failed to reassure Malaysians of its reliability.

In March, a case was recorded when the MyJPJ system showed a photo of a different person than the one named on the licence. The Road Transport Department (JPJ) denied the possibility of identity theft, blaming the incident on system maintenance work, according to The Star.

Since February, Malaysians have been able to download digital versions of their driving license and digital motor vehicle licenses from the MyJPJ app. The platform also allows vehicle owners to share their digital motor vehicle license, i.e. road tax, with another person, Free Malaysia Today reports.

Article Topics

biometrics  |  digital government  |  digital ID  |  identity management  |  KYC  |  Malaysia  |  MyDigital ID  |  MyKad  |  PADU