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SINGAPORE: Members of Parliament from the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) who raised questions about the use of TraceTogether data in the House last week have welcomed the imminent introduction of legislation to limit the use of the data for criminal investigations .
However, the Progress Singapore Party (PSP) has requested that the data be reserved for contact tracing only.
Interior Minister of State Desmond Tan said in Parliament on January 4 that police could obtain data from TraceTogether for criminal investigations, an admission that raised public concern about the use of the data by authorities.
READ: Singapore Police May Obtain TraceTogether Data for Criminal Investigations: Desmond Tan
The issue was first raised on January 4 through a parliamentary question from Mr. Christopher de Souza, a PAP MP for Holland-Bukit Timah, who had asked whether and what TraceTogether data would be used for criminal investigations. legal provisions and safeguards when using them. data.
Previously, a privacy statement on the TraceTogether website said that the data would only be used “for contact tracing purposes.” The site was updated on January 4 to clarify that the Code of Criminal Procedure (CPC) applies to all data under the jurisdiction of Singapore.
On Tuesday, the minister in charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, Vivian Balakrishnan, stood up to clarify that she had previously “bypassed” the CCP and faced questions about the use of TraceTogether data from various MPs on both sides of the Hall.
The Minister of Law and Home Affairs, K Shanmugam, told the House that the use of the data would be limited to “very serious crimes”.
In Parliament on Tuesday (January 5), the Minister in Charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, Vivian Balakrishnan, provided clarification on various aspects of the TraceTogether contact tracing program, including its purpose, privacy protection and legal provisions. for the use of your data by the police. for criminal investigations. The Minister of Home Affairs and Law, K Shanmugam, also rose to respond to questions raised by members of the House.
On Friday, Singapore authorities announced that they would introduce legislation that would establish seven categories of serious crime for which TraceTogether data could be used in police investigations.
Categories of serious offenses to be covered. (Table: Smart Nation Singapore)
The legislation will be presented at the next session of Parliament in February on a Certificate of Urgency.
READ: Legislation will be introduced establishing serious crimes for which TraceTogether data can be used for police investigations
In a Facebook post on Saturday, De Souza said he was glad the government had clarified the issue.
“The news that the Government will accelerate legislation to definitively clarify the seven categories of serious crimes in which the TraceTogether data will be used is welcome,” he wrote.
“The rapid follow-up of this law reflects the responsiveness of our government towards policy making. This is encouraging, considering that our defenses and policies against COVID-19 have had to develop in twice as fast time.”
PAP MP Tin Pei Ling, who raised follow-up questions on the issue in Parliament on Tuesday, said that given the situation, this was the best measure to remove ambiguity about how the data would be used.
She had asked in Parliament for Balakrishnan to ensure that the majority of Singapore residents will not be affected by this, reaffirming that the data will be used only for serious crimes and will be evaluated “judiciously”.
“I think (the proposed legislation) makes it even clearer … For me, (this is) going one step further: it is codifying it into law. This is the best and most definitive way to give Singaporeans peace of mind.” said Ms. Tin, who is the deputy for MacPherson.
READ: Police can only request data from TraceTogether through the person involved in the criminal investigation: Vivian Balakrishnan
But the head of the PSP, Dr. Tan Cheng Bock, said in a statement that the PAP was “backtracking” in its words and that this “erodes the trust” of citizens in the country’s political institutions.
“We need to be unique in purpose when it comes to contact tracing and in our fight against this pandemic. We fear that the latest government action may result in a loss of confidence in our systems,” wrote on the party’s Facebook page. Sunday. .
“The move shared by Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan to establish guidelines for the use of this data under the CPC will not ease people’s minds or help rebuild trust. COVID tracking data should be used solely and strictly to combat the pandemic and nothing else. “
The non-electoral MP Leong Mun Wai, who is from the PSP, had lobbied Dr. Balakrishnan on the use of TraceTogether data in Parliament. A PSP spokesman told CNA on Monday that its House representatives plan to raise further questions on this at the next session of Parliament.
Aljunied MP for the Workers’ Party, Gerald Giam, also raised concerns in Parliament last week that allowing the data to be used for investigations would lead to less adoption of the contact tracing program, making it difficult to control the pandemic.
The Workers’ Party did not respond to questions from the CNA about its reaction to the proposed legislation.
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