The Malaysian government is going to launch an application (app) that would prevent foreign workers from being charged exorbitant fees to work in Malaysia and also help keep track of their whereabouts.

Malaysian Home Minister Hamzah Zainudin said the app "e-locker" will have detailed information of migrant workers including their country of origin, family details, employer information, place of employment, their salary as well as any fees they had to pay to enter the country, reports Free Malaysia Today.

"With this app, we will know where the workers came from and if they had to pay any big fees," said the minister while speaking on the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants (Amendment) Bill 2021.

Malaysia would discuss with source countries to have the workers' details included in the app to curb the issue of them paying exorbitant fees, said the report.

Hamzah said this when he was asked about the steps his government was taking to address the downgrade of Malaysia to the worst tier in the United States' annual Trafficking in Persons (TiP) report.

According to the report, the downgrade in July came after complaints by rights groups and US authorities over the alleged exploitation of migrant workers.

All the details of salary and payments of the workers' made to enter the country would be included in the app, as well as all the necessary personal details, added the Malaysian minister.

"The source country will be able to access e-locker as well," he said, adding that the whereabouts of migrant workers in the country could also be tracked through the app, the report also said.

"This is an improvement through the use of technology so that we can take quick and appropriate action against employers over any wrongdoing," he said.