PETALING JAYA, Jan 15 — The thumbprint verification system utilised in a broad range of basic facilities and services is posing problems for an increasing number of Malaysians.
According to a News Straits Times report today, people who frequently experienced such problems are the elderly and those with dermatological conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and other skin infections.
The biometric system which utilises thumbprints as a form of identification is implemented in a host of critical sectors including over-the-counter bank transactions and for security clearances.
The fingerprint data of citizens is also interwoven into their MyKad’s electronic chip, and is crucial for use in the public sector such as in passport applications or when accessing one’s savings in the Employers’ Provident Fund.
The National Registration Department told the paper that it had issued over 13,000 hardcopy contents of the MyKad chips as referral documents for official dealings to those with unrecognisable thumbprints.
These hardcopy print-outs are issued on the spot for a fee of RM5 per copy.
Those experiencing unreadable thumbprints have urged the authorities to utilise authentication systems that are able to read prints of the other fingers besides those of the thumb, as implemented in some other countries.
