Malaysia to add biometrics to all identity documents

The National Registration Department of Malaysia (JPN) will  add biometric data in all identification documents such as birth and marriage certificates. This is to eliminate fraud and boost security of the national identity system. A report by Free Malaysia Today quotes director-general of national registration, Ruslin Jusoh, explaining that identity documents such as the citizenship, birth and adoption certificates do not have biometric elements,making it difficult to identify the actual owner. He further states that biometric data such as DNA and facial recognition would be incorporated to boost the capability of the system to identify people.

The changes are part of Malaysia’s Public Safety and Security Policy, where improvement of civil records is one activity. Some legal and policy changes will be effected before biometric identification is adopted.