Letters

An RCI on data leaks can restore public confidence

LETTERS: It has been nearly four months since it was revealed that the personal data of 22.5 million citizens stored by government services was stolen and sold on the dark web.

The data include full names, identification numbers and pictures, home addresses and phone numbers.

They could easily be used by scammers to cheat law-abiding citizens of their hard-earned money and subject them to other security threats.

But there does not seem to be any kind of action or plan by the authorities to restore public confidence in the custodians of such sensitive information.

No wonder, therefore, that people have been calling for a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to be set up to determine the extent of the data breach, either in the public or private sectors.

All that has been heard is the conjecture that the sources of the April leak were the Internet, telecommunications and finance companies, and other agencies. It doesn't matter where the leaks came from.

What matters now is how the government plans to ensure that the crime is stopped and the criminals apprehended.

Almost on a daily basis people are receiving dubious phone calls with tempting offers that are difficult to refuse.

In a most recent case, I was told that an elderly man in Kuala Lumpur received a call, seemingly from a telecommunications company that has been providing him service for the past decades.

The caller said the man would receive a free iPhone 13 if he answered some questions.

To convince him that the call was genuine, the caller reeled off the man's personal details, his previous bills, and the names of his family members.

However, the man got wise and ended the call. He later called the company's line and when he complained about what must have been a leak from the company, an official denied all responsibility. Was the company at fault, or was the man to blame?

Answers to these questions, and many others, can only come through an RCI. So why is there no sign of such an RCI in the past four months?

Much is at stake here — public confidence, accountability, and responsibility.

It is hoped that all the authorities and private companies that are custodians of the private information of their clients will support the call for an RCI so that public confidence can be restored.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE

Chairman, Alliance for Safe Community


The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times

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