Digital & technology — Topics

3 Nov 2020

Protection of Data Collected for Next-generation ERP System

He Ting Ru asked detailed questions about the data fields, storage, anonymization, access, security protocols, and third-party access for the next-generation ERP system.
Ong Ye Kung explained that the system collects transaction and traffic data, with strict security safeguards including on-board units, anonymization of traffic data after transfer, and restricted access on a need-to-know basis.
Anonymized traffic data will be aggregated for transport planning and shared with third-party developers, while vehicle-specific data is limited to payments and enforcement, with all data handling following government standards and laws.

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3 Nov 2020

Scams Targeting Children and Teens

Miss Cheng Li Hui asked about the number of scam victims aged 17 and below in the past year, common scams targeting children, measures taken, and whether parents are legally liable if their children create accounts underage.
K Shanmugam reported that 430 children and teens aged 17 and below were scam victims between October 2019 and September 2020, with e-commerce and social media impersonation scams being the most common.
The Police are collaborating with the NCPC and CSA on awareness campaigns, including the "Young Police Buddy" initiative, advisories for apps like TikTok, and an interactive cyber safety handbook distributed to Primary 5 students.
There is no legal obligation on parents to ensure their children meet age requirements for online accounts, but parents are urged to actively promote cyber-wellness and safety.

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3 Nov 2020

Digital Distribution of Government's Tourism Vouchers to Singaporeans including the Elderly and Extension of Use of Vouchers to Arts-related Activities

Members of Parliament raised concerns about the digital distribution of tourism vouchers, the need to assist seniors unfamiliar with SingPass, fraud prevention, and expanding voucher use to arts-related activities.
The Minister of State outlined that vouchers can be redeemed via SingPass with physical touchpoints at community centres and booking platforms to help seniors, while safeguards include SingPass authentication, audits, and public advisories against scams.
Arts-related activities are not directly eligible, but museums and galleries can qualify as tourist attractions, and arts organisations can bundle offerings with eligible merchants; the government supports the arts sector through other schemes like the Jobs Support Scheme and Arts and Culture Resilience Package.
The Ministry plans to collaborate with social service organizations and community centres to create senior-friendly tours and off-peak sessions, while exploring additional physical touchpoints and managing attraction capacity safely across the voucher validity period.

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2 Nov 2020

Regulation of Driver Assignments by Private Hire Car Operators to Minimise Unnecessary Travelling Time by Drivers and Pollution

Dennis Tan asked the Minister for Transport whether LTA regulates how private hire car operators assign booked trips to drivers, whether LTA requires assignments to the nearest drivers to reduce unnecessary travel and pollution, and if not, whether such requirements will be considered.
Ong Ye Kung responded that LTA does not regulate how private hire car operators assign trips, as operators use their own algorithms.
He explained that commercially, it makes sense for operators to match passengers to nearby drivers to minimise waiting time and maximise trip allocations.

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2 Nov 2020

Update on Plan to Provide All Secondary School Students with Laptops by 2021

The Ministry of Education announced that every secondary student will have a Personal Learning Device (PLD) by the end of 2021, with tender awarded and implementation details being finalized with vendors.
Schools can select from a range of device types to meet their needs, but all students in a school will use the same PLD, with details on the rollout to be provided by January 2021.
The curriculum already uses digital tools, and while MOE will provide guidance, schools have autonomy to customize PLD integration, with additional support like cyber wellness education, digital literacy resources, and technical assistance.

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2 Nov 2020

Efforts at Digital, Media, Privacy and Political Literacy

MCI promotes digital literacy through the Digital Media and Information Literacy Framework, with a review expected to be completed by Q1 2021.
Agencies like CSA, PDPC, and the MLC run campaigns and plans, including the National Cybersecurity Awareness Campaign and the Data Protection Competency Framework.
Ground-up initiatives, such as the "Sure Anot" campaign, complement government efforts to build a vigilant online community.
Ongoing reviews and amendments, like those to the Personal Data Protection Act, aim to enhance accountability and address evolving digital threats.
The government continues to collaborate with stakeholders to strengthen digital, media, and political literacy in Singapore.

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2 Nov 2020

Subtitles for All News Broadcast on Free-to-air TV Channels

Ms Poh Li San inquired if subtitles will be provided for all news broadcasts on free-to-air TV channels and the timeline for their introduction.
S Iswaran confirmed that prime-time news bulletins on Mediacorp's free-to-air channels are already subtitled in the four official languages.
The government, with Mediacorp, will continue exploring technological solutions to expand subtitling progressively.
Subtitling is considered important for accessibility, especially for the elderly and hard-of-hearing viewers.
Efforts will focus on assessing practical solutions to enhance news accessibility across all broadcasts.

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2 Nov 2020

Take-up Rate for Seniors Go Digital Programme amongst Low-income Seniors and Measures to Educate Seniors on Online Scams and Digital Crimes

Miss Rachel Ong inquired about the take-up rate for the Seniors Go Digital Programme among low-income seniors and the educational measures against online scams, particularly in e-payments.
Minister S Iswaran stated that 10% of over 36,000 seniors engaged by Digital Ambassadors were low-income, benefiting from subsidised devices and data plans, with cybersecurity education integrated into the programme.
The programme teaches seniors to identify scams and protect data, including guidance on e-payments, and offers hands-on learning, online resources, and webinars developed with relevant agencies.

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2 Nov 2020

Amount Spent on Developing SafeEntry System, TraceTogether App and TraceTogether Tokens

Ms He Ting Ru asked the Ministry of Health about the spending on developing SafeEntry, the TraceTogether app, and TraceTogether tokens, including production and distribution, as well as any future funding allocations.
Minister Gan Kim Yong stated that $5.2 million was spent on SafeEntry, $2.4 million on the TraceTogether app, and $6.2 million on TraceTogether tokens for development and procurement as of September 2020.
The Minister noted that these digital tools have improved contact tracing, reducing the time to identify close contacts from four days to less than two days, which helps limit COVID-19 spread.
The Ministry plans to continue investing in enhancing SafeEntry and TraceTogether, including improving check-in convenience and acquiring more tokens, with future costs depending on the number of residents needing tokens.

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2 Nov 2020

COVID-19 Infection Cases Tracked from TraceTogether Tokens and Utilisation Rate

TraceTogether has identified about 25,000 close contacts of COVID-19 cases, leading to 160 positive cases, enabling faster isolation than manual tracing.
As of 1 November, 570,000 residents have collected TraceTogether tokens, while about 2.7 million have downloaded the app.
The government encourages more people to use TraceTogether to improve effectiveness, and is extending TraceTogether-only SafeEntry to more venues like malls and workplaces by end-December.
SafeEntry integration into TraceTogether tokens has started, with the token's QR code usable for check-ins, and deeper integration is being studied to reduce public inconvenience.

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2 Nov 2020

Community Dispute Resolution (CDRT) Claim Submissions between 2017 and 2019

The Ministry of Law provided the number of CDRT claim submissions for 2017, 2018, and 2019 but cannot break them down by age group as the CDRT does not track applicants' ages.
To assist elderly Singaporeans without IT access or SingPass, the CDRT offers simplified online forms, phone, email, or in-person support at the State Courts, and allows authorized third parties or volunteers to help file claims.
The Ministry encourages resolving neighbor disputes through direct discussion or mediation as a first step to avoid unnecessary legal proceedings and strengthen relationships.

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2 Nov 2020

Singaporeans Who Do Not Have a SingPass Account

The Prime Minister reported that 96% of eligible Singapore residents aged 15 and above have a SingPass account, with close to 90% of seniors aged 65 and above being account holders.
Among seniors with SingPass accounts, 69% are active users who have accessed the service in the past year, reflecting increased adoption since 2017.
Seniors without computing devices can register for SingPass at Community Centres, CitizenConnect Centres, or government counters, as part of efforts to ensure digital inclusivity.

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2 Nov 2020

Reasons for Making TraceTogether Compulsory

Gan Kim Yong stated that TraceTogether has identified 25,000 close contacts and reduced tracing time from four to under two days, which is essential to break transmission chains.
He emphasized that with 3 million users, higher participation boosts confidence to safely resume economic and social activities, allowing larger gatherings in pilot settings like business events and performances.
The government will expand TraceTogether-only SafeEntry to more venues such as malls and workplaces to move toward Phase 3, drawing lessons from countries that faced resurgences due to weak contact tracing.
While not mandatory for all residents, TraceTogether is required in specific high-risk settings to increase participation and prevent the need for a second lockdown.

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2 Nov 2020

Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill

The amendments introduce mandatory data breach notifications and increase financial penalties for non-compliance to strengthen organizational accountability and consumer trust.
New provisions expand consumer autonomy, including a data portability obligation and updated rules for unsolicited commercial communications across digital platforms.
The bill clarifies lawful purposes for data use without consent, such as for business improvement and legitimate interests, to support innovation while requiring risk assessments and transparency.

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2 Nov 2020

Review of Distribution Methods for Budget 2020 Grocery Vouchers

Multiple MPs raised concerns about the postal distribution of Budget 2020 grocery vouchers, questioning the reasons for using registered mail, the scale of theft, and the feasibility of digital methods like PayNow.
The Minister explained that 150,000 sets were mailed, with only 229 (less than 0.2%) reported stolen, leading to voided vouchers and replacements, and noted police have made arrests.
The government chose postal delivery to balance COVID-19 safety, convenience for older recipients, and security, considering alternatives like digital vouchers or self-collection but deeming them less suitable due to digital literacy and mobility issues.
Future considerations include reviewing distribution methods as digital literacy improves, with current vouchers having unique features to prevent fraud and tracked deliveries to ensure secure receipt.

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15 Oct 2020

Delay in Roll-out of Distance-based Charging in Next-generation ERP System

Gerald Giam questioned the delay in implementing distance-based charging in the next-generation ERP system, seeking reasons, a timeline, and details on the $556 million contract spent on this feature.
Senior Minister of State Amy Khor explained that the current ERP system is outdated, and the new system uses GNSS technology to replace gantries and provide real-time traffic data, with distance-based charging being a potential future feature but still years away.
Khor stated there is no specific cost attributed to distance-based charging as it is part of the system design, and the government needs time to study options and let the new system settle before deciding on implementation.
Giam’s supplementary questions raised concerns about revenue neutrality, impact on drivers like taxi and delivery workers, and coupon-less parking, but Khor responded that these issues are premature to address as distance-based charging is not imminent.
The rollout of the next-generation ERP system is scheduled for the second half of 2021 over 18 months, with focus on installation and data collection before further decisions on distance-based charging are made.

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15 Oct 2020

Training Cybersecurity Experts for Singapore

The number of cybersecurity professionals in Singapore grew to nearly 6,000 in 2019, with almost 5,000 Singaporeans trained through the Tech Skills Accelerator programme since 2016.
The government is expanding opportunities through initiatives like SGUnited traineeships, CSA’s 120 new cybersecurity roles, and outreach programs that have engaged over 7,000 youth and women.
While the government considers Singaporean talent a priority for national security, it emphasizes building a broad and deep cybersecurity workforce across both public and private sectors.
Cybersecurity jobs in the public sector remain attractive to local graduates, though global talent shortages create competitive pressure for these roles.

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14 Oct 2020

Plans to Harness Technology in Built Environment Industry

The Construction Industry Transformation Map launched in 2017 aims to transform the built environment industry through productive construction methods, digitalisation, and developing a strong local core.
Technology adoption includes advanced building methods like Design for Manufacturing and Assembly, digital platforms like Integrated Digital Delivery, and Smart Facilities Management with predictive maintenance and cleaning robots.
Digitalisation efforts have been accelerated post-COVID-19 through initiatives like the BuildSG-COVIDSafe platform and the private sector-led Digitalising Built Environment Alliance for Action to establish common data standards and drive digital platform adoption.

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14 Oct 2020

Prevention of Scam Cases Since Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams was Formed

Minister K Shanmugam reported that scam cases have risen sharply, with 10,402 cases in the first eight months of the year compared to 5,229 in the same period last year, partly due to increased online activity during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Inter-Ministry Committee on Scams, formed in April 2020, is focusing on four areas: improving detection, securing the digital space, enhancing loss recovery, and public education, and has been working with telcos to block fraudulent calls and numbers.
Measures with telcos include blocking international calls spoofing government numbers, adding '+' prefixes to overseas calls, and terminating numbers or blocking websites identified in police reports, with officials agreeing to consider a public reporting and blocking system.

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6 Oct 2020

Measures to Restrict Young's Access to Harmful and Dangerous Content Available through Streaming Services

The Minister explained that IMDA regulates streaming services with a Content Code requiring rating and prominent display of content classifications, including NC16, M18, or R21 for sensitive themes like suicide, to inform viewers and protect the young.
Service providers must implement parental locks for content rated NC16 or higher, and R21 content requires a reliable age verification mechanism and a PIN lock by default, ensuring restricted access for minors.
Internet Access Service Providers are required to offer parental control services, allowing parents to manage their children’s access to online content, alongside public awareness efforts to promote responsible online behavior.
The Minister acknowledged that regulation alone cannot block all undesirable content due to the internet’s borderless nature, emphasizing the need for public awareness and initiatives like the Media Literacy Council’s campaigns.
IMDA reviews content based on feedback and engages providers to rectify inappropriate ratings, reinforcing a multi-faceted approach to safeguarding young people from harmful streaming content.

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