Digital & technology — Topics

3 Oct 2023

Results of Survey of Preschool Operators Administered in Mid-2022

Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Ministry for Social and Family Development to release the anonymized results of a mid-2022 survey of preschool operators.
The Early Childhood Development Agency surveyed over 800 preschool operators about CCTV deployment, finding that more than 60% had installed cameras, mainly for security, child safety, and internal investigations.
Preschools without CCTV cited concerns about the privacy of children and staff as their primary reason for not installing cameras.
The agency has mandated CCTV installation in all preschools from 1 July 2024, issuing guidelines to balance security with privacy protections.
The ministry committed to working with operators to ensure the implementation of CCTV cameras protects the privacy of children, staff, and others in preschool premises.

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3 Oct 2023

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Singapore Police Force's Enforcement Work

Desmond Choo asked how the Singapore Police Force uses AI in enforcement, whether it has improved outcomes, and what its future role might be.
K Shanmugam responded that SPF uses AI to enhance operational effectiveness, such as analyzing seized devices for child sexual abuse materials and operating the ScamShield Bot to detect scam messages on WhatsApp.
He added that SPF will continue collaborating with agencies like the Home Team Science and Technology Agency and GovTech to explore and apply AI in its mission.

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3 Oct 2023

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Supervision of Financial Institutions

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) uses AI and machine learning to improve risk targeting for supervisory and enforcement actions, such as identifying potential market manipulation and high-risk financial advisory representatives.
MAS applies natural language processing to analyze textual data from financial institutions and scan social media or news reports, flagging issues for supervisors' attention and enhancing efficiency.
Advanced data analytics and machine learning help MAS identify suspicious networks related to money laundering or terrorism financing, enabling proactive engagement with financial institutions.
MAS plans to responsibly explore and deploy newer technologies, including generative AI, to further enhance its financial supervision framework.

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3 Oct 2023

Issues Related to Mobile Inpatient Care at Home Programme Such As Use of Remote Monitoring Technology and Compliance with Treatment Regime

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked how the government will ensure patients in the Mobile Inpatient Care at Home programme have access to remote monitoring equipment, receive support for technological literacy, and have compliance with treatment plans monitored, as well as whether there are plans to expand the programme.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung explained that the programme is implemented in all public hospitals for suitable General Medicine patients, who are provided with clinical monitoring equipment and training, with daily tele-consultations to ensure compliance and in-person visits when needed.
The government is exploring scaling up the programme to include other patient types such as palliative care, paediatric, and gynaecology patients.

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19 Sep 2023

Junior Doctors' Access to Healthcare and Patient Database as They Start Their Posting at Public Hospitals

Around 90% of new junior doctors have their healthcare IT accounts ready on their first day, but account setup can take up to two weeks during peak periods with over 1,000 new juniors starting in January, April, and July.
Junior doctors without IT access are supported by clinical teams to ensure patient care continues smoothly while their accounts are being processed.
The national HealthTech agency, Synapxe, is collaborating with public healthcare institutions to automate and shorten the account creation timeline, with improvements expected to roll out starting next year.

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19 Sep 2023

Support for Business Sectors Still Reliant on Cheques to Transit to Digital Payment Methods

The Prime Minister announced that MAS will eliminate all corporate cheques by end-2025, reflecting a sharp decline in cheque usage and a significant rise in e-payments, with cheque transactions falling from 32% in 2016 to 4% in 2022.
MAS and the banking industry have engaged high-cheque-usage sectors like property, insurance, and law, leading to new digital solutions for deferred payments and electronic cashier’s orders to be implemented by 2025.
Government agencies reviewed and amended regulations in 2021 to remove digital payment hurdles, particularly for retail cheque transactions in areas like property conveyancing and CPF transactions.
Ongoing collaboration between Government agencies and the banking sector will continue through programmes like SMEs Go Digital and Seniors Go Digital to support small businesses and individuals in adopting e-payments.

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19 Sep 2023

Regulating Artificial Intelligence and New Technologies for Precision Medicines

Yip Hon Weng asked how the Government regulates AI and new technologies in precision medicine to protect data privacy, patient confidentiality, and safety, and how it addresses concerns that customised treatments may increase healthcare costs compared to generic drugs.
Ong Ye Kung stated that AI and precision medicine are transformative but face tight regulation, with the Health Sciences Authority regulating such technologies as medical devices and the Healthcare Services Act governing clinical genetic services from end 2023.
He added that patient data, including genomic data, is already protected by existing privacy laws, and the Ministry of Health will continue developing governance frameworks to ensure ethical, clinically and cost-effective deployment of these nascent technologies.

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19 Sep 2023

Technical Issues with Electronic Registration System for Polling that Resulted in Removal of Voter Names from Registers of Electors

The Singapore government identified a technical issue in the 2020 General Election’s electronic registration system where approximately 1,093 voters were inadvertently removed from the registers due to a software glitch that failed to capture some NRIC scans, which has since been addressed with a new system for the 2023 Presidential Election.
The Elections Department (ELD) confirmed that the 2023 Presidential Election experienced minor connectivity issues without cyber interference, and it has implemented measures such as sending individual notifications to non-voters to verify their status and prevent future recurrence.
Ministers emphasized that the margin of error from the registration issue is minimal compared to election result margins and assured that the ELD will improve reliability and resilience through better system specifications, stress tests, and ongoing enhancements.

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18 Sep 2023

Policies to Allow and Enable Persons with Disabilities to Work from Home

Christopher de Souza proposed policies to enable persons with disabilities to work from home, including rights, software and hardware support, and digital literacy training.
Tan See Leng emphasized that flexible work arrangements should be voluntary to avoid affecting employability, but committed to a Tripartite Advisory for workplace accommodations.
Support for remote work includes assistance from SG Enable, a grant covering up to 90% of telecommuting setup costs, and subsidised digital literacy programs.

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18 Sep 2023

Replacement of Hard Copy Application for Newspaper Permits with Digitally-enabled Forms

Ms Sylvia Lim asked whether the Infocomm Media Development Authority plans to replace hard copy newspaper permit application forms with digital versions and the timeline for such a change.
The Ministry of Communications and Information is reviewing the process to allow digital submissions while ensuring confidentiality, with the review expected to conclude by the first quarter of 2024.

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18 Sep 2023

Adoption of Technological Solutions to Improve Operational Efficiency and Patient Care in Nursing Homes

The Ministry of Health and Agency for Integrated Care provide funding through schemes like the Productivity and Digitalisation Uplift Grant to support nursing homes in adopting technologies such as autonomous mobile robots and smart glasses.
Sixteen nursing homes have successfully implemented autonomous mobile robots for delivering items, resulting in at least 10% staff time savings and enabling more focus on direct patient care.
While support exists for smart glasses to facilitate real-time communication between nurses and medical professionals, no nursing homes have yet requested funding for this technology.

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18 Sep 2023

Random Audit Checks of Registers of Electors

The Prime Minister outlined the Elections Department's existing procedures to ensure only eligible voters are issued ballot papers and all votes are counted, noting that non-voter lists are published after each election for public inspection.
The government identified that 1,093 voters were inadvertently removed from the registers for the Presidential Election 2023 due to possible errors in the electronic registration system introduced in GE2020, where NRIC details might not have been fully captured if officials did not properly reset the system between scans.
In response to the issue, the Elections Department has implemented a new electronic registration system for PE2023 that eliminates the need to press a button between scans, and will henceforth individually notify voters on the non-voter list via mail and SG Notify in Singpass to verify their status and restore names if needed.

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18 Sep 2023

Guidelines on Security and Privacy for Installation of CCTVs and Monitoring Devices at Workplaces

Desmond Choo asked the Minister for Manpower about current policy guidelines for employers installing CCTVs or monitoring devices at workplaces and how safety and security are balanced with worker privacy.
Tan See Leng responded that under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), organizations must comply with obligations when collecting personal data through surveillance devices, balancing workplace safety with privacy.
He noted that devices should be used only in areas with safety concerns, not in private spaces like restrooms, and employers must inform workers of the purpose and implement data protection safeguards.
The Advisory Guidelines on Key Concepts in PDPA provide details on rules, transparency, and data retention for such surveillance.

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18 Sep 2023

Losses from Scams and Malware Fraud: Doing Right by Bank Customers

Ms. Sylvia Lim highlighted the rising prevalence and devastating impact of scams, urging the government to ensure banks treat customers fairly and expedite the long-awaited Shared Responsibility Framework for loss-sharing.
She proposed that Singapore adopt a model similar to the UK’s, where banks are required to fully reimburse scam victims (except in cases of gross negligence), and suggested additional safeguards such as reintroducing physical tokens for authentication and imposing stricter checks on high-risk transfers.
Minister of State Alvin Tan acknowledged the seriousness of scams and outlined Singapore’s three-pronged strategy (upstream measures, downstream bank actions, and public education), while noting that the government aims to release a consultation paper on the loss-sharing framework in the coming month.

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18 Sep 2023

Immigration (Amendment) Bill

The Bill introduces the New Clearance Concept to digitalise and automate immigration clearance using biometrics, aiming for faster and more secure processing at checkpoints and Changi Airport, while ensuring data privacy and accommodations for travellers with special needs.
It strengthens border controls by expanding the collection of advance passenger information to include bus operators, enabling No-Boarding Directives to prevent undesirable individuals from boarding conveyances to Singapore, and clarifying the Minister’s power to restrict entry for public health or security reasons.
The Bill removes the statutory right of appeal for Permanent Residents against certain decisions, aligning with other immigration passes, and clarifies the legal framework for losing PR status if a Re-Entry Permit expires without renewal within a prescribed period.

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3 Aug 2023

Maximum Number of Concurrent Users HDB Flat Portal Can Accommodate

Leong Mun Wai asked about the HDB Flat Portal's maximum concurrent user capacity, whether it was exceeded during BTO launches, and plans for IT infrastructure upgrades.
Desmond Lee stated that the portal's capacity meets requirements, with a virtual waiting room implemented to manage surges, and no BTO launches in the past year exceeded the limit despite higher demand.
He mentioned that technical issues in the May 2023 launch were resolved, and HDB is encouraging users to avoid peak periods and will continue improving IT infrastructure.

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3 Aug 2023

Revised Regulatory Cap on Retail Deposits for Digital Full Banks and Other Safeguards for Consumers

MAS has increased the initial aggregate deposit cap of $50 million for digital full banks like GXS Bank and MariBank, but does not disclose specific caps for each bank.
Each individual depositor in a digital full bank is protected by a S$75,000 cap under the deposit insurance scheme, aligning with prevailing limits.
Additional safeguards include restrictions on proprietary trading and prudential requirements on capital and liquidity, similar to other full banks in Singapore.

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3 Aug 2023

IT Vendor Staff with Excessive Access Rights to File Transfer Servers and Encryption/Decryption Keys in PSD's Human Resource and Payroll System

Dr. Tan Wu Meng questioned the Prime Minister about excessive access rights found in the Public Service Division's HR and payroll system, including potential unauthorized access, malicious intent, and remedial actions against the vendor.
The Prime Minister's office confirmed the vendor created 12 administrative accounts with excessive rights for troubleshooting, but immediate steps were taken to reduce these rights after the Auditor-General's findings.
No unauthorized access, data compromise, or foul play was detected, and additional system checks were conducted, with the vendor receiving a stern warning for the lapses.

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3 Aug 2023

Government Agencies' Review of Security and Access Controls of Most Privileged Operating System and Database Accounts

Pritam Singh inquired about the frequency of reviews for security and access controls on the most privileged operating system and database accounts across government ministries and statutory boards.
The Prime Minister’s office responded that there are existing standards for regular reviews of all IT accounts, including privileged ones, with the frequency determined by the criticality and sensitivity of the systems accessed.
Reviews for these privileged accounts are conducted as frequently as every one to three months, based on the specific risk and importance of the systems involved.

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2 Aug 2023

Measures to Pre-empt Rise in Concert Ticket Scams on E-commerce Platforms

The Ministry of Home Affairs and Singapore Police Force have implemented a multifaceted approach to combat concert ticket scams, including working with platforms to remove scam content, launching the Transaction Safety Ratings to inform consumers, and passing the Online Criminal Harms Act to enable stronger regulatory actions.
The effectiveness of these measures is ongoing, with improvements noted on platforms like Shopee and Carousell, while others like Facebook Marketplace lag in implementing recommended safeguards despite repeated engagements.
Public education remains critical, with advisories issued through partners like SingPost and Ticketmaster, and the public urged to use the "Add, Check, Tell" steps to protect themselves.

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