Information breaches and data errors that have hit the My Number Card ID system seem to be a warning about the government’s single-minded rush to promote the program.

The government is seemingly is seeking to boost the efficiency of a wide range of public services without taking sufficient steps to protect personal information.

It should recognize the mistake of adopting such a slapdash approach and review the way it is trying to expand the use of the card.

There have been a rash of personal information leaks and registration errors related to the use of My Number, or “Maina” cards, for public services.

In cases concerning local government issuance of official documents using terminals at convenience stores, people who tried to obtain copies of their certificates of residence, family registers or seal-registration certificates using their My Number Cards received those of other persons or invalid documents.

These errors are to be blamed on glitches in the systems developed by contractors including a subsidiary of Fujitsu Ltd. But the local governments should also be criticized for their sloppy quality control management.

In a case concerning the use of the card as a public health insurance card for obtaining medical services, one user received the health information of a stranger linked to their card, including medical expenses and medications.

This was due to a health insurance provider’s error during the data-inputting process--linking one recipient’s information to the My Number card of another beneficiary.

There have been some 7,000 such mix-ups during the one year or so since the full-scale operation of the system began in autumn 2021.

More than 30,000 similar data input errors were detected during the preparation stage, forcing the health ministry to delay the launch by half a year. But the ministry left the task of eliminating such errors to insurance providers and failed to establish a reliable system to prevent errors.

Health minister Katsunobu Kato has apologized and ordered a sweeping review of the system. But he should be held strictly responsible for the problem.

Similar human data input errors have also been discovered with regard to registration for receiving public funds.

These cases were not caused by flaws in the identification system for the My Number card program. But the government should make serious responses to the fact that many information leaks have occurred, causing anxiety among users.

The ministries and agencies involved should make all-out efforts to identify all the problems behind the leaks and take steps to eliminate them. The government’s Personal Information Protection Commission, for its part, should provide more effective guidance and oversight.

There are inevitably numerous potential risks and problems, including those related to information processing and human labor, in a project to launch a huge system covering the entire nation.

It is vital to ensure the protection of information even if errors occur and quick responses to complaints from users.

The government has been using the carrot-and-stick approach for rapid popularization of the card system, through generous reward point campaigns and the threat to abolish the current health insurance card system.

In a headlong rush to promote the system, the government may have become oblivious to the most basic principle of strict management and protection of personal information. The government should humbly reflect on its approach.

The government has submitted to the Diet a bill requiring the use of My Number cards for receiving health care services under the public health insurance program. But many people working on the front lines of health care and nursing services are concerned about possible confusion.

The government should first make sufficient efforts to eliminate related problems and concerns.

Fresh debate is needed over how to expand the use of the card after such efforts are made. More frequent use of the card inevitably heightens the risk of information leaks and other security breaches.

The government should think twice about its strategy strongly focusing on promoting the card system and put more emphasis on enhancing the security of the system.

--The Asahi Shimbun, May 25