Fomca calls for stronger data security in subsidised cooking oil app

FMT:

 

Fomca calls for stronger

data security in subsidised

cooking oil app

Anne Muhammad

-04 Mar 2025, 11:10 AM

CEO T Saravanan says the government must ensure that the data of users is not misused or exposed to the risk of leakage.

5

Shares

Total Views: 348

Fomca CEO T Saravanan urged the government to continue enforcement efforts, saying some parties might try to manipulate the system for subsidised cooking oil.

PETALING JAYA: 

The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) today urged the government to ensure optimal data security for the app that it will introduce to monitor subsidised cooking oil sales.

Fomca CEO T Saravanan said the app would store users’ purchase records and personal information, and that the government must ensure the data is not misused or exposed to the risk of leakage.

He told FMT this in response to the announcement about the introduction of the app by domestic trade and cost of living minister Armizan Mohd Ali yesterday.

Armizan said users’ data would be recorded during purchases to allow his ministry to determine whether subsidised cooking oil was being sold to the intended target groups.

He said the app was being used in a pilot project and would be included as part of the Cooking Oil Price Stabilisation System.

Saravanan urged the government to ensure that the app is user-friendly and to continue enforcement efforts, given concerns that some parties might try to manipulate the system.

“How will this app be used by those who are not tech-savvy or who do not own a smartphone?

“If the process is too complicated, it could be an inconvenience to them, who genuinely need the subsidised cooking oil.

“This app can be an effective monitoring tool, but it must be supported by efficient enforcement, strong data security measures, and mechanisms that do not burden the people,” he said.