They say any plan to use new technology comes with security concerns, especially when it involves personal information.
They were commenting on former prime minister Najib Razak’s suggestion that the government integrate the technology available in the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link to speed up the border crossing process.
“The government’s announcement last week that RTS passengers whose journey time would be only five minutes but who would still need another 10 to 15 minutes for the customs clearance and immigration process was quite disappointing,” Najib said in a Facebook post.
Speaking to FMT, information security consultant Raja Azrina Othman said facial recognition at border control was used primarily as a biometrics record in addition to other data collected from travel documents.
She noted that Singapore recently replaced fingerprints with iris and face scans as biometric markers. The system provides an option for travelling citizens to enrol their iris and facial biometrics with the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) before travel.
“The objective is to enable fast processing at border controls for its citizens,” she said.
It was not clear, she said, whether Najib was suggesting that Malaysians biometrics be stored or be made to interface with the ICA system to enable faster clearance into Singapore.
“If this is so, there are grave concerns on the security of information,” she said.
Raja Azrina also spoke of legal concerns regarding data privacy.
“These are matters that affect the sovereignty of our nation,” she said.
SL Rajesh, who heads the computer forensics department of the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals-Centre for Security Studies, raised concerns about maintenance issues in the facial recognition system.
“What if the system collapses or is corrupted?
“In my opinion, any technological implementation must be backed up with other systems. In this case, the face ID should be paired with a passport. If the system collapses, travellers can still use their passports,” he said.