Malaysia upgrading biometric border control systems for land, sea and air

The proof-of-concept period for Malaysia’s MyBorderPass facial recognition system to control immigration ends on August 31, leaving an open question about which of three trialed systems the country will continue to pursue in the longer term.

MyBorderPass is a facial recognition system for motorcyclists crossing the border between Malaysia and Singapore at the Johor-Singapore Causeway. Deployed for entry and exit in three lanes at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (BSI) complex, it has already registered more than 30,000 biometric registrations, according to Malay Mail.

Trial runs of the MyTrip (at the Sultan Abu Bakar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex in the Second Link) and MyRentas (at BSI) QR code clearance systems are also expiring.

MyBorderPass may have proven popular, but there could be questions about its provenance, should the government pursue a wide installation of the facial recognition system for border control. The app is developed by a company called Barisan Mahamega Sdn Bhd, which is also responsible for the government’s compulsory registration scheme for refugees or asylum seekers in Malaysia, TRIS – the “Tracking Refugees Information System.”

TRIS requires fingerprint and face biometrics to assign certified “MyRC” identity cards to UNHCR card holders. Per its website, it is intended to “streamline the process of management and profile together with the process of data collection, registration, keeping profile, analysis and reporting for the Government of Malaysia.” A 2022 article from Al-Jazeera outlines the motivations for the project, as well as claims that it further marginalizes refugees and puts them at risk of persecution by law enforcement.

More biometric updates coming to Malaysia’s borders

Malaysia, which shares land and maritime borders with Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand and maritime boundaries with the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, is in the midst of a border overhaul that leans on biometrics. Earlier this year, Malaysia and Singapore signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) to enhance trade between the two nations, which see hundreds of thousands of crossings every day.

The government is currently conducting a feasibility study on developing its National Border Control System (NBCS), which includes plans to integrate AI and biometrics via an Automatic Biometric Identification System (ABIS). The ABIS and border control system, which is contracted to NEC for provision of multi-modal authentication via face, fingerprint, and iris biometrics as well as e-gates, is expected to launch in 2026.

Datasonic autogates extended, company plans more deployments

The Star reports that Datasonic Technologies, which manages more than 150 biometric autogates across all checkpoints in the country, some of which integrate facial recognition and fingerprint biometrics, has received and accepted five Letters of Extension from the Home Ministry for contracts to provide chipped passports and other identity-related deliverables.

Datasonic is planning on installing more autogates in the country, and has also supported Malaysia in opening use of the autogates to 36 more countries this year, bringing the total to 63.

An announcement published on Bursa Malaysia says the firm has been contracted for the supply of passport chips, passport documents and “polycarbonate biodata pages” to Jabatan Imigresen Malaysia.

It will also supply “MyKad, MyTentera, MyPOCA raw cards and consumables” as well as “comprehensive maintenance services of card personalisation centers” to Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara.

All contracts run from June 1 to November 30 2024. The total value is stated as RM181,657,605.25 (US$40,410,443.11).

Article Topics

Barisan Mahamega  |  biometrics  |  border security  |  Datasonic  |  facial recognition  |  Malaysia  |  MyBorderPass  |  NEC  |  QR code