Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has said that Selangor's free insurance scheme, Insan, is compliant with data protection regulations outlined in the Financial Services Act and the Islamic Financial Services Act.
Addressing concerns, Anwar, who also holds the position of finance minister, cited Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM), stating that consumers willingly shared their personal information through the Wavpay application.
To participate in the insurance scheme, individuals are required to verify their eligibility on the Insan website, complete registration via the Wavpay application, provide a selfie with their identification card for authentication, and consent to the specified terms and conditions.
“By completing the above process, individuals give their consent for the use of their data for the purpose of obtaining insurance or takaful protection under Insan,” Anwar said in a written Dewan Rakyat reply on Free Malaysia Today.
Anwar's response came in reply to Hamzah Zainudin, who inquired about the timeline and actions to be taken regarding the Insan “scandal.” Hamzah, also the opposition leader, had raised concerns about individuals being automatically registered for Insan without their consent, prompting scrutiny into the scheme's operations.
Insan, an initiative by the Selangor government, aims to provide complimentary personal accident insurance protection to residents within the age range of 30 days to 80 years old. Previously, communications and digital minister Fahmi Fadzil mentioned that the personal data protection department was investigating complaints regarding potential misuse of personal data associated with the scheme.
Selangor chief minister Amirudin Shari had clarified that the state government pre-registered Selangor residents for the scheme using data sourced from the Election Commission's electoral roll. The insurance policy, as Amirudin explained, would only be underwritten upon agreement and submission of a selfie and a photo of the individual's identity card.
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