personal data protection law

did you notice? our minister in the PM dept., datuk seri dr rais yatim stated that next year the country will enforced the ‘personal data protection law’. this law will regulate the collection, possession, processing and use of personal data by any person or organsiation.

he further added that “this law will focus on providing adequate security and privacy to individuals in the handing of personal information”.

and he tells us that the penalty of stealing other people’s data or accessing data illegally will be 10 – 12 years for a serious offence, and 3 – 5 years for a minor offence.

ok this reminds me of mykad. everyone knows that mykad contains loads of information. again lone had blog on this too e.g. here, where he talks on using chips and tags, what-have-you which invade our privacy. and you must surely remember TV smith’s funny and famous parody on mykad.

as TV satirically pointed out, once your mykad no. is given out to a person, the person will know at his fingertips all your information (which had been embedded in the card). well, isn’t this sort of consider ‘stealing other people’s data’? i mean you just give your IC no. and perhaps address but suddenly which blood type you have, how sick are you, and so on will be known.

i don’t know. i may not fully understand the personal data protection law, but the way i see it, the law will contradict mykad, if you know what i mean.