I was asked by The Star to comment on the recent news about an alleged data leak containing the information of 22.5 million Malaysians born between 1940 and 2004, purportedly stolen from the National Registration Department (NRD).
I said-
Lawyer Foong Cheng Leong said the lack of transparency on investigations related to data leaks in Malaysia has been frustrating.
“There needs to be an account of how the matter is being investigated and what steps are being taken to ensure that the data is secure.
“The information could serve as a deterrent to others and show that there will be consequences for those leaking private information,” he said in a phone interview.
Foong urged fresh investigations to be conducted by the relevant agencies, including the Department of Personal Data Protection (JPDP) to discover if the leak was genuine.
When contacted, JPDP declined to comment at this point.
Foong said the data from the alleged leak could be used by scammers to dupe victims.
“For example, they could pose as an authority figure and present information such as your MyKad number or address to gain your trust.
“They will use this to convince you to give out more details or perform financial transactions,” he said.
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