Leaked info and makan battery? We check out reasons why people refuse to use MySJ Trace. (Updated!)

(Updated on 7th Jan 2022)

We heard about another concern that people had regarding MySJ Trace and decided to add it in below. Check out the latest updates in blue!

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In case you haven’t heard (or updated the app yet), our Health Ministry just introduced a new feature in MySejahtera called ‘MySJ Trace‘. It’s essentially a new-and-improved way for our gomen to contact-trace, by making it easier to identify those that have been in contact with someone who tested positive.

MySJ Trace works through enabling your Bluetooth and Location Tracking, which allows the MOH to basically see who has been around you within a certain radius. It will replace the old ‘check out’ feature in the app, which had quite a number of flaws as people were constantly forgetting to check-out of their locations.

But despite the benefits that MySJ Trace will bring, Malaysians have been pretty hesitant about enabling it due to a few common reasons that have been circulating online. So, we decided to address it to see if they were really a cause for concern, and this is what we found…

Concern 1: MySJ Trace will drain your device’s battery.

Since it is widely believed that turning your Bluetooth on can really drain your device battery, it’s no surprise that Malaysians were strongly against using MySJ Trace when they learned that it would require Bluetooth to be kept on at all times.

But despite common belief, a test that was run by a tech-based publication found that keeping your device’s Bluetooth on (without connecting to another device) only consumes about 1.8% more power than if it was turned off. For scale, this apparently only gives you around 10 – 15 mins extra battery usage a day.

Not to mention, the MySJ Trace FAQ explicitly states that the feature utilizes ‘Bluetooth Low Energy‘ (BLE). And yes, there is a difference. Bluetooth Low Energy consumes significantly less energy than normal Bluetooth, and is best used for applications that periodically exchange small amounts of data; which is how MySJ Trace operates.

But of course, this would also largely depend on the kind of device that you’re using, as not all mobile devices may support Bluetooth Low Energy. Since it was only introduced in 2011, older devices may not have access to this; but it may not make too much of a difference too, since the MySJ Trace feature is only compatible with Android 8.0, iOS 10, and above anyway.

We also tested it out on our own Android device and found that MySejahtera only used around 0.29% of battery life over the course of 5+ hours running in the background. Meanwhile, Facebook had already used around 0.1% after only 7 seconds running in the background. We didn’t test it out on iOS yet though, so if any of ugaiz have an Apple device running MySJ trace, please feel free to drop your findings in the comments!

Concern 2: Your private information (e.g. your location) might be exposed.

Nowadays, keeping your personal information private is everything. So, when people first heard about MySejahtera collecting personal data and keeping track of their location at all times, they feared their private information might be at stake and for good reason.

After all, our gomen doesn’t exactly have such a good track record of keeping sensitive information safe. But while there have been data leaks that occurred in the past, none have actually been traced back to MYSJ… though there was that one one case of the app’s API being misused. Still didn’t result in any user data leaks though.

But what kind of information does the app actually collect and store? Well, according to MySejahtera’s privacy policy, the data they collect can vary according to the functions of the app which are used, but they generally include stuff like:

• For User Registration;
  • Name
  • Address
  • Identity Card Number / Passport Number
  • Phone number
  • Date of birth
  • Email address
  • Gender

• For Check-in;
  • Name
  • Phone number
  • Location

• For Complaints;
  • Name
  • Location
  • Photos (uploaded on the complaint form)

•  During Travel;
  • Name
  • Phone number
  • Identity Card Number / Passport Number
  • Citizenship Number
  • Seating Number
  • Departure Destination
  • Arrival Destination
  • District

The FAQ also stated that the data they collect will be “used in accordance with the Government’s information security standards”, but we weren’t really able to find very much info online on what those set security standards are. However, MySejahtera’s privacy policy did mention that the app will also only record information that is being given voluntarily, and will not be shared with other organizations unless specified.

So, it seems like our personal information might be in pretty safe hands… for now, at least.

Concern 3: The gomen is doing this to “keep tabs” on you.

As crazy as it sounds, this “conspiracy theory” isn’t as uncommon as you’d think, because DG Hisham had to confirm that MySejahtera will only be used for contact-tracing, not to track down runaways. But even though this new feature CAN actually make it easier for the gomen to track your whereabouts, there are MUCH easier ways for the gomen to track you down. That is, if they even wanted to in the first place.

We hate to break it to you, but average Cik Kiah‘s like you and I are not that important. And out of the millions of people using MySejahtera, there has not been a single instance of anyone being caught through using the app. 

So, unless you’re some sort of wanted criminal, political artist, or fugitive, you’ll most probably be the last on their wanted list. But even then, there’s a chance you’d still be able to run away without being caught anyways. In any case, you’re forgetting that there is already a requirement to check-in wherever you go, and THAT is mandatory.

Concern 4: Keeping your Bluetooth on at all times will get you HACKED. (update!)

Another concern that people have been buzzing about lately is the risk of being hacked when leaving your Bluetooth on for a long period of time, especially when you’re out and about. Well, we aren’t tech experts but from what we know, leaving your Bluetooth on can make you vulnerable to hackers. But then again, any device that can connect to the Internet is already susceptible to digital attacks. 

Case in point: When a device connects to a public WiFi connection, it often isn’t a secure network. This leaves you at risk of being tracked online to the sites that you visit and the data you send. Hackers can also trick you into connecting to their own ‘fake WiFi’. Not to mention, the most common kind of hack is when you click into an unknown link and it basically gives hackers access to your information with absolute ease.

While one of the easier ways to avoid the risk of these kinds of attacks is to simply leave your WiFi and Bluetooth connections turned off, it still doesn’t guarantee your complete safety. So, at the end of the day, the only thing that we can truly do is to take precautions and calculated risks.

And realistically, there are other ways which you can use to keep yourself safe while using Bluetooth and WiFi; such as not pairing with unknown devices, only connecting to trusted networks, and not sharing sensitive information if you’re unsure about the security.

This will fail… if no one uses it.

Even though we’ve been able to debunk a number of these myths, there is still a problem with MySJ Trace, and it isn’t about the app itself. At its core, MySJ Trace functions to detect whoever has been in contact with someone who is C-19 positive; which means that it would only work if people actually turned it on, and those who tested positive did actually declare their status through the app.

As a solution for the first problem though, KJ mentioned that if a majority of Malaysians still refuse to enable it in the near-future, the MOH might have to make it mandatory. And though we can’t say for sure if the app would be greatly beneficial in coming months, we definitely appreciate that we don’t have to constantly “check-out” of places anymore. 😅

So, if you’re unsure about enabling it, you can try it by leaving it on when you’re out-and-about and turning it off when you get home. After all, the only security risk of leaving your Bluetooth on at all times is being connected to a foreign device, which frankly doesn’t have anything to do with MySejahtera in the first place.