Federal police today summoned the chief executive of Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy Azrul Mohd Khalib over his tweet eight months ago that questioned the use of MySejahtera data in law enforcement.
When contacted, Azrul told Malaysiakini he spent two hours in the Bukit Aman police headquarters today for questioning under Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) 1998 and Section 505(b) of the Penal Code.
"They took my phone so I lost connectivity and have to find a replacement sim (card), phone, and others," he said, adding the investigating officers did not reveal who lodged a report against his tweet last year.
On Nov 12 last year, Sepang District Disaster Management Committee chairperson Mohamad Zain A Hamid reportedly said police would use MySejahtera registrations to track 400 residents of Medan 88 in Bandar Baru Salak Tinggi, Sepang.
The residents had allegedly escaped from an enhanced movement control order (MCO) enforced there from Nov 12 to 25.
Azrul's alleged tweet on Nov 13 said such use of Mysejahtera data was abuse and encouraged people to have a healthy suspicion and be protective of their personal data.
In a statement earlier, Azrul said the government made a strong commitment last year to reassure the Malaysian public that their privacy, personal data protection, and security concerns were unfounded.
"And also that they could be trusted in keeping data safe and that the use of MySejahtera would be limited.
"It was specifically mentioned that the data collected by MySejahtera would be treated as confidential medical data under the Medical Act 1971.
"We remain steadfast in our commitment to raising concerns related to the use, protection, and security of personal and medical data, especially during the Covid-19 public health emergency," he said.
Azrul said while the federal government is exempted from compliance to the Personal Data Protection Act 2010, the Health Ministry has repeatedly assured Malaysians that it would protect user data on MySejahtera.
"While the development of MySejahtera was well-intentioned, it is not impervious to the vulnerabilities, limitations, and potential for misuse which have affected similar Covid-19 related applications in other countries.
"Constant vigilance is needed, not just of Covid-19 but also of the measures which are being utilised in this pandemic," he said. - Mkini
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