On 1 April 2019, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill was tabled in Singapore’s Parliament. The bill aims to stem the communication of false statements of fact, enable the detection and control of information manipulation, and promote the transparency of online political advertisements. Any person or organisation that spreads online falsehoods with malicious intent to harm the public interest in Singapore could face a fine of up to SGD 500,000 or, in the…

On 11 March 2019, the Personal Data Protection Commission of Singapore (PDPC) issued a set of advisory guidelines for management corporations of strata title plans (MCSTs), which were developed in consultation with Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority. The guidelines provide guidance to MCSTs on complying with Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA), and some key aspects are as follows: As an MCST comprises the subsidiary proprietors of all lots within the strata title plan of…

Singapore has set up a new Telecom Cybersecurity Strategic Committee (TCSC) to develop a plan to tackle ‘next-generation cyber threats’ in the telecommunications sector. The committee is expected to publish a strategy report and outline a roadmap for telecommunications operators to develop cybersecurity capabilities later in 2019. The report and roadmap will include recommendations for new initiatives such as capability development, technology innovation, regulation and international partnerships. In his opening address at the inaugural Infocomm …

On 22 January 2019, Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission issued its grounds of decision against COURTS (Singapore) Pte Ltd (Courts), a consumer electronics and furniture retailer in Singapore. The facts of the case were as follows: A complaint was brought by an individual who discovered that his contact number and address were disclosed in an automatically opened webpage, when he entered his name and email address on Courts’ guest login page when making a purchase…

On 14 January 2019, Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission issued its grounds of decision against Singapore Health Services Pte. Ltd. (SingHealth) and Integrated Health Information Systems Pte. Ltd. (IHiS) for what has been coined the “worst breach of personal data in Singapore’s history”. The unprecedented cyber attack on SingHealth’s patient database system led to the exfiltration of 1.5 million patients’ personal data and nearly 160,000 patients’ outpatient prescription records. The commission received several complaints from…