The impressions of all 10 fingers of Malaysians will be taken under the new MyKad biometric database, deputy home minister Shamsul Anuar Nasarah said today.
Shamsul said Malaysians would also undergo facial and iris scans to ensure better identification verification and reduce the risk of identity theft.
He told the Dewan Rakyat the biometric database would also help police and the immigration department track down suspects involved in crime in Malaysia and abroad.
Winding up the debate on the National Registration (Amendment) Bill 2025, Shamsul said the amendment was necessary to allow the government to update its biometric database to improve security.
He said the government was not making it compulsory to register for the digital ID known as MyDigital ID, but the legal amendments would give Putrajaya the legal basis to use the MyKad data in digital form.
“This digital ID will not replace the physical MyKad. I hope we all understand this fact,” he said.
Shamsul said 795 people had been arrested for offences involving identity documents, with 326 charged over the use of fake MyKads, from 2021.
He defended the move to allow certain offences to be settled with compound fines, such as failing to update one’s MyKad or address, saying this removed the need to go to court.
The bill was passed in a voice vote.
Earlier, Wilfred Madius Tangau (PH-Tuaran) said the shift to the MyDigital ID must come with safeguards to prevent the manipulation of data.
He called for an anti-manipulation clause and independent audits of the system with auditors reporting directly to Parliament.
He said these measures were crucial to prevent abuses seen in the past, especially in Sabah, where citizenship was manipulated for political gain.
