Josephine Teo
Singapore
“The Government's risk-calibrated approach to data security in artificial intelligence (AI) systems was explained in a written reply, given on 9 January 2024, to related questions asked by Dr Tan Wu Meng and Mr Gerald Giam.”
“Access to frontier models is helpful for specific use cases, such as advanced research and cybersecurity. However, these form a small proportion of artificial intelligence (AI) demand. For most industry, Government and research uses, capable models are already available.”
“The Government tracks the development of technical standards for identifying artificial intelligence (AI)-generated content, including watermarking and digital provenance approaches, as part of broader efforts to manage AI-related risks.”
“Upon receiving a valid report of intimate image abuse, the Commissioner of Online Safety is empowered by law to direct Online Service Providers (OSPs) to disable access by Singapore users to the specified harmful online material. This direction may be extended to cover identical copies found on the platform.”
“The Government is committed to keeping children safe online. We have announced plans to extend age assurance requirements to designated social media services, including requiring platforms to keep users under 13 off their services.”
“Under the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025, the Commissioner of Online Safety is empowered to issue directions to platforms to remove specified harmful content, including intimate image abuse.”
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“Ms Jessica Tan and Ms Rahayu Mahzam have asked how we are enhancing the Digital for Life movement (DfL). Since the movement was launched in 2021 to mobilise ground-up efforts, more than 130 partners have pledged support and kickstarted around 140 initiatives. More than 270,000 have benefited from these initiatives. There is now growing momentum among DfL partners to introduce new programmes. For example, Microsoft will offer classes to expose children from low-income families to topics such as Internet of Things (IoT) and Mixed Reality. As the DfL movement gathers pace, MCI is conducting a series of Forward SG engagements with people, private and public (3P) sector partners to target specific areas of need. In the next phase of engagements, we will focus on topics such as parenting in a digital age and enhancing user experience in digital Government services. Mr Chairman, let me now turn to safety and security. According to Microsoft's 2023 Global Online Safety Survey, 77% of Singaporeans have experienced at least one online risk in the past year. At the Committee of Supply (COS) debate for the Ministry for Home Affairs (MHA), I shared plans to introduce an Online Criminal Harms Act. This builds on the Online Safety (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, which was passed in Parliament last November and came into force recently. At last year's debate, I explained that the change in law was to enable the introduction of a code of practice for social media services. IMDA has been engaging industry partners to finalise this code and expects it to be implemented by the second half of the year. In debating the Bill, I also indicated that we would look beyond social media services to other widely used online communications services.”
“To questions by Ms Hany Soh, Mr Christopher de Souza, Mr Seah Kian Peng and Mr Yip Hon Weng, IMDA's SG Digital Office (SDO) was established at the start of the pandemic to provide digital training to seniors in areas like digital services, e-payment and cybersecurity. Much of this involves one-on-one coaching or small group learning in community spaces where seniors are comfortable. To date, SDO's Digital Ambassadors have trained more than 210,000 seniors to use smartphones for basic tasks and daily needs. By now, many seniors in the heartlands recognise our Digital Ambassadors as "the friendly people in purple shirts". Since this January, SDO has also worked with the PA's Active Ageing Council to create digital support groups promoting peer learning among our seniors. To Mr Gerald Giam's question, the Government will be planning for more ServiceSG touchpoints in tandem with demand. In the meantime, the SDOs, our community centres (CCs) as well as libraries do provide basic support. Mr Yip's example also shows how our libraries are equipping Singaporeans with digital skills. Under NLB's Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025 (LAB25), libraries will work more closely with leading tech companies to do so. At the inaugural ExperienceIT showcase at the full opening of the Punggol Regional Library later this year, Amazon Web Services will help put together an experiential exhibit introducing visitors to machine learning and artificial intelligence. This collaborative approach is a consistent thread in our efforts to uplift digital skills. For example, since 2020, MOE and IMDA have made Code For Fun, an enrichment programme on Computational Thinking available to all upper primary students. This is an important social leveller that reached 50,000 students in 2022.”
“In imparting digital skills to our seniors, the learning process should consider their ability to absorb information and make good use of peers to support their learning. The content should be in line with the practical needs of the seniors, such as teaching them e-payment. The design of digital technologies should incorporate their perspectives and be intuitive for their use. In other words, we should not underestimate the learning spirit or ability of our seniors. What they need is time, opportunity, encouragement, and empathy. Therefore, be it the Government, businesses, or community groups, let us help our seniors to pick up digital skills and be with them on this journey every step of the way. 4.00 pm (In English) Mr Chairman, let me emphasise this. While some seniors need help with digital skills, we should not dismiss their ability to be part of our digital future. What they need are time, opportunity and empathy. Take Mr Richard Yip, a 72-year-old grandfather of three who discovered NLB's MakeIT programme through NLB's app. Members may recall that the MakeIT programme allows residents to experiment with fabrication technologies at libraries around Singapore. Mr Yip was intrigued by the 3D printing technology on offer at Jurong Regional Library. He started using it to print small solid pieces such as insects and dinosaurs, which his grandchildren loved and which made him incredibly popular with them. Over time, Mr Yip progressed to using coding and robotic microcontrollers to create moveable toys for his grandchildren, making him even more popular. He is now an advocate for 3D printing, describing it as a "dream come true" for seniors like him.”
“] Singapore has achieved very high levels of digital access amongst our households, to the envy of many nations. However, the Government believes that we can do more. Therefore, we will allocate about $80 million over the next four years to introduce the new Digital Access@Home programme to better support low-income households with access to broadband and digital devices. That said, digital access alone does not equate to digital inclusion. For example, there are many seniors around us who own the latest handphone model but do not know how to use many of its functions. Hence, the Government is advocating for a "Digital First" and not "Digital Only" approach for now. This means that we will continue to provide non-digital options for essential services. Many people have told me that this message was very reassuring, helping to ease their anxieties. However, some have also asked me if it means that our seniors no longer need to learn digital skills. As a matter of fact, the latest survey shows that the digital skills of seniors have improved over the past two years. The percentage of seniors in their sixties who have basic or higher digital proficiencies has risen from 28% to 44% – an increase of 16%. More seniors in their seventies or older are developing their digital proficiency, with the percentage rising from 7% to 29% -- an increase of 22%. The data shows that our seniors understand that the digital future is materialising, and they should – and they can – adapt, just as they have successfully adapted to many aspects of Singapore’s modernisation in the past. These figures, and the various ForwardSG citizen consultations, also show that we should not rush that process.”
“Under this scheme, the cost of broadband will be reduced to as low as $5 per month for eligible households living in HDB rental flats under the Public Rental scheme. Those living in 1- to 3-room flats will pay $10, while those in 4-room or larger flats will pay $15 monthly. For another $5 monthly, they can double their bandwidth from 500 Mbps to 1 Gbps. In addition, households which include ComCare Assistance beneficiaries will automatically qualify for the highest level of subsidy and pay the least. Households with students on MOE's Financial Assistance Schemes may also enjoy the highest level of subsidy depending on income. We will work with these agencies to auto-qualify these schemes' beneficiaries. To achieve digital inclusion, broadband access must be accompanied by device access. This is often a bigger barrier as the costs are higher and harder to spread out. Under the DigitalAccess@Home scheme, beneficiaries can enjoy subsidies of between 25% and 75%. This will reduce out-of-pocket costs for devices. Depending on the level of support, beneficiaries will pay between $75 and $250 for a tablet, and between $220 and $710 for a laptop. For larger households with school-going children, we are partnering the people sector, through organisations like Engineering Good and SGBono, to provide up to 1,000 refurbished laptops per year to support them. From the demand seen in existing programmes, this number should be sufficient to meet current needs. Mr Chairman, allow me to describe the gist of our updated policy in Mandarin and how we should think about our seniors in our digital future. I will also outline what it means to be "digital first, but not digital only", which Mr Baey Yam Keng and Ms Janet Ang have asked about. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.”
“The digital realm has created opportunities for malicious actors to manipulate, deceive and coerce. Compromise of our digital infrastructure and services could severely disrupt our economy and our lives. Such occurrences breed a sense of danger and distrust. The third concerns how we keep our society united and resilient. We recognise the risk of digital technologies being exploited to undermine social cohesion through this misinformation. Left unaddressed, this can deepen fault lines, polarise societies and fuel intolerance as well as hatred. Today, I will explain what MCI is doing to address these issues. First, on inclusion, which Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Sharael Taha have asked about. In terms of connectivity, 92% of our households have access to a computer and 98% have broadband. This is far more than many countries can say. However, MCI believes we can reach a higher bar in terms of access as well as inclusion. One group we remain concerned about are lower-income households. For most households, digital connectivity has become as essential as water and electricity. But for some, connectivity can still feel costly. Since 2020, we have helped over 46,000 households stay connected through the NEU PC Plus and Home Access schemes. We will streamline these schemes into one, ease the application process and provide more affordable digital access for those who need it most. To that end, we will introduce a new DigitalAccess@Home scheme from April this year. It will provide subsidised broadband and digital devices to eligible low-income Singaporean households. The Government has set aside about $80 million over the next four years to fund this scheme, which will be able to support 60,000 households.”
“I have therefore asked Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary to co-chair an advisory panel comprising business and industry leaders, to bring them on board early and to make sure that our blueprint incorporates their needs. I expect this phase of our work to take six to nine months. Senior Minister of State Janil will outline the specifics of our plan. Of course, it is not just infrastructure that must be primed for the future. Our people and businesses must be ready too. The importance of digitalisation is not lost on our businesses. Ninety-three percent Singapore firms have adopted at least one digital technology and the demand for tech talent across the economy is strong. But there are still areas where businesses face hurdles, especially as the global baseline of digital adoption rises and competition heats up. To strengthen support for businesses, we will develop a Digital Enterprise Blueprint. This will comprehensively lay out how we are promoting and supercharging digital transformation at the national, sectoral and firm levels. Senior Minister of State Tan Kiat How will share more about our plans. In pursuing our digital ambitions, we must not neglect the equally important protective dimension of our digital social compact: the dimension of trust and safety. Without this, confidence in digital will erode. There are three issues of concern. The first has to do with inclusion. The path of digital development must be wide enough to accommodate as many as possible. Those who fall off this path will find it hard to support and participate in digital developments, much less embrace its benefits. The second is about keeping digital technologies safe for Singaporeans.”
“Mr Chairman, earlier in the debate, I outlined the lessons learnt from our Smart Nation journey as we strengthen our digital social compact. MCI plays a key role in overseeing this compact, ensuring that it remains robust amid technological disruption and that it benefits all Singaporeans. Our theme for Committee of Supply this year is therefore "Empowering Singaporeans to thrive in our digital future". To do so, we must sustain the two aspects of our digital social compact: the aspirational and the protective. Our aspiration is for all Singaporeans to seize the opportunities created through digital developments. To achieve this, we must build the foundational infrastructure to support our digital economy and society. Sound infrastructure planning has been a cornerstone of Singapore's success. For example, the shape of our city for the next 50 years has been mapped in URA's Long Term Plan. The Land Transport Master Plan 2040 outlines our transport ambitions for the next two decades. Few countries think this far ahead, much less organise themselves to realise such plans. To succeed in our digital future, we need an equally thoughtful and committed approach to digital infrastructure. To this end, MCI will develop a Digital Connectivity Blueprint, which may be a world first, if not one of very few. This blueprint will lay out the full scope of our long-term infrastructural ambitions, cutting across broadband, mobile and Wi-Fi networks, as well as our undersea cables. It will lay the groundwork for us to transcend our resource constraints and create economic opportunities for all Singaporeans. Given the fast-changing nature of digital, it would be unwise for Government to attempt this exercise on our own.”
“Mdm Chair, I thank Mr Christopher de Souza for reaffirming the importance of our officers and their skills level, even as we deploy more technology in carrying out our mission. Let me assure him that the points that he made are definitely not lost on us. Ultimately, we will still need officers who have the judgement. We need officers who understand our cultural context and our operating conditions, in order that they will be able to put the technologies to good use. Even in the way we develop the technologies, we need human talent. I mentioned in my speech earlier that HTX intends to fill something like 500 positions for this year alone. And if you compare it to the size of HTX today, which is about 1,500, that is still a 25% increase simply to build the capabilities to use technology more effectively. So, it is a question of where we are deploying our talent resources in the sense of using technology as a force multiplier. That is still the approach that we hope to take in order to serve Singaporeans better, in order to protect Singaporeans through the use of technology in the appropriate way and also to do so in such a manner as not to overly strain our resources.”
“I do not have the details of those content. But if the Leader of the Opposition is interested, we could share it with them. The Singapore Citizenship Journey includes materials that are shared with the applicants to our citizenship. And they can look at these materials in order to be more familiar with Singapore history and culture. Those probably have involved other citizens in terms of their development. And there is also, if I recall correctly, a component of the Singapore Citizenship Journey that takes these applicants to various locations. Those are materials that we can provide to you.”
“I think we have said this on previous occasions. I think you can imagine the scenario if you publish this information on such a current basis, how this information can be misinterpreted and can also be used to suggest that we are friendly or not as friendly to certain nationalities, and even to certain ethnicities. I do not have anything new to add to the previous explanations that had been provided. On Mr Singh's advocacy of us using English, perhaps, as a test of the ability of a new citizen or PR to integrate, I must admit to being quite surprised by his position, the reason being that, firstly, one can imagine that for most applicants to permanent residency and citizenship if they have been in Singapore for a number of years, particularly if they had worked here, a facility with English is not surprising. And I would think a test need not be applied. For those who perhaps do not have the facility with English and/or cannot communicate easily in English, I think from our ground interactions, it is also quite clear who these individuals are likely to be. They are likely to be spouses of citizens or other PRs and have come from the same country of origin and unless we are saying that we, therefore, do not welcome such foreign spouses, then I am not sure to what extent a test of English that could be applied to prevent them from being considered would be helpful. Thirdly, on the ground, every day we meet with residents who cannot speak a word of English. I do not think anyone would suggest that they are any less integrated to Singapore society. As to some of the comments he made about applicants who may lord it over Singaporeans and so on, I am not sure what the question is, perhaps I could ask him to repeat it.”
“Mdm Chair, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his questions. He asked what aspects of our immigration information is not broken down by specific countries. And I believe if you look at the reports to do with annual awards of Permanent Residency and Singapore Citizenship, we speak of the regions from which the new citizens, as well as the new PRs, originate from. On the second question that he asked for a clarification on, Mdm Chair, if I may ask the Leader of the Opposition: is he advocating that a test of English should be applied before someone can be considered for permanent residency and citizenship? Is he advocating a position, or he is merely asking a question?”
“There is also value to co-create with the community, promote opportunities for people and groups to come together to make Singapore a better home for all of us. In this regard, I am pleased to announce that SNDGO and URA, with support from IMDA, have just rolled out an Innovation Challenge in Jurong Lake District today, focusing on urban sustainability issues. I encourage companies and research institutes to submit proposals to address these real-life issues, and possibly pilot them in the JLD soon. Sir, it will soon be 10 years since Prime Minister Lee announced the Smart Nation initiative in 2014. However, the task of building Smart Nation, like that of building Singapore – is never done. We will continue to find ways to leverage technology to realise new opportunities for our people and businesses, to help our people go digital with confidence and to build a stronger community.”
“AI Singapore also runs the AI Apprenticeship programme to provide training using real world projects and help the trainees get better jobs. To meet strong demand from both industry and Singaporeans, AI Singapore will double the number of AI apprentices trained over the next five years from 200 to 400. We will continue to nurture innovative use of data just as AI Singapore and Q&M Group have done, including taking in Ms Tin Pei Ling's suggestion for us to find more opportunities to securely share government data with businesses and the community. We are already exploring the use of emerging privacy-enhancing technologies that allow us to share data in a seamless and secure manner, to nurture more collaboration with non-government entities. A second priority is to ensure that we can go digital with confidence, feel safe and secure using digital tools and services. The Government will step up our proactive cybersecurity measures. We have launched the Government Cyber Security Operations Centre to make greater use of artificial intelligence and data analytics in defending government systems. We have also developed PhishMonSG in collaboration with MHA. This is a tool that proactively hunts for phishing sites that pose as Government agency websites, so that we can remove them before they can harm the public. We also want to help level up our companies, especially small and medium enterprises. MCI will share more about our initiatives. The third area of priority is to help strengthen our Singapore communities. Our Smart Nation must be inclusive, so that all Singaporeans can participate fully in an increasingly digital society. As I have said, digital first need not mean digital only.”
“Minister Chan Chun Sing will speak more broadly about public service delivery, which Mr Yip Hon Weng asked about. I will share more on our digital inclusion efforts during MCI’s Committee of Supply debate, particularly, to support the lower-income and seniors. Mr Chairman, these lessons we have learnt are shaping the way we are thinking about the next bound of Smart Nation. During the various Forward Singapore conversations, it has become more evident how technology can enable and improve our lives. In MCI’s Digital Readiness Survey, 84% of Singaporeans agreed that digital technologies have made their lives easier. As we refresh our Smart Nation strategy, three broad areas will be particularly important. First, enhancing opportunities for Singaporeans to flourish; second, ensuring trust and safety in the digital world; and third, strengthening our communities. Let me outline each priority area in turn. First, digital technology presents immense opportunities for Singaporeans and our businesses. As Ms Tin Pei Ling pointed out, it is critical to invest in digital infrastructure. MCI will elaborate on this. Mr Sharael Taha asked how we can better support our businesses and citizens to grow and thrive in an age of technological advances. AI Singapore offers a good example. Since its launch in 2017, AI Singapore has partnered around 80 businesses to co-develop AI models and solutions, and created close to $60 million of value. For example, it supported Q&M Dental Group to develop an AI model that helps dentists detect disease from dental X-rays and recommend treatment plans. Q&M Group now plans to deploy this AI model to more than 150 clinics in the region.”
“To date, we have migrated 64% of eligible government systems, and we are on track to hit our target of 70% by this year. As Mr Alex Yam pointed out, the Government cannot do all of this securing alone. We have launched the Vulnerability Rewards Programme to work with "white hats", or ethical hackers, experts and volunteers to identify weaknesses in our systems so we can continuously improve their security. In the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI)’s Committee of Supply debate, I will expand on efforts to uplift digital literacy and strengthen safety online. The third lesson is that to go far, we must go together. Smart Nation is a collective effort. For example, we are collaborating with and learning from, leading countries and companies in Artificial Intelligence. We recently signed MOUs with Israel and Korea, as well as with Google and Samsung. We also have AI research partnerships with industry, such as with SembWaste to improve environmental sustainability through efficient recycling, such as using computer vision to sort waste. We will continue to learn from the best-in-class, incubate good ideas and support Singapore companies in leveraging AI. More importantly, we must never leave our citizens behind in our Smart Nation journey. To points raised by Mr Seah Kian Peng and Ms Tin Pei Ling, we will continue our efforts to ensure our digital services are accessible and easy to use, for all. We will also continue to provide non-digital options for critical government services for the foreseeable future. In terms of design, which Ms Jessica Tan asked about, it is based primarily on following the user journey, identifying and fixing pain points in advance and rigorous testing.”
“For example, the team at Open Government Products built the Health Appointment System last year to make it easier to book pneumococcal and flu vaccination appointments. It has facilitated more than 40,000 appointments to date. This system will soon be expanded for eligible women to book a subsidised HPV2 vaccination appointment. This will make it easier for our women to protect themselves through vaccinations. By April, the system will also allow appointment bookings for all vaccines under the National Adult Immunisation Schedule, and by June, vaccines under the National Childhood Immunisation Schedule. The second lesson is that safety matters. To use digital tools with confidence, our citizens must be able to trust that they are safe. With ever-evolving cybersecurity threats, this has become a tall order. Mr Alex Yam asked about protecting our digital systems. We are investing efforts to build stronger defences to safeguard people from scams and online harms. For example, ScamShield was launched on iOS in 2020 and on Android in 2022. It has about 500,000 users and since 2022, has helped block 200,000 scam calls and detected over 3.5 million scam messages. We will be launching a ScamShield Chatbot later this year on WhatsApp, to allow the public to report scam messages to the relevant authorities more easily. MHA will say more about their efforts to address scams. We are also improving government ICT infrastructure to be more resilient against cyber attacks. We are working with agencies to modernise and secure their key systems. This includes moving more government systems to cloud, to improve resiliency, security monitoring, and our threat detection tools.”
“Good afternoon, Mr Chairman. I thank Members for their questions and comments. In the interest of time, let me jump straight to the lessons we have learnt since we started our Smart Nation journey in 2014. The first lesson is to always put people first. I am happy to update Ms Tin Pei Ling that through digital technology, we have made it more convenient for our citizens and businesses to apply for government services, seek help and get support when and where they need it. Most transactions can be completed from the comfort of their homes. Singaporeans can use MyInfo to apply for credit cards, or LifeSG to access parenting, housing and other digital government services. Ms Tin is very familiar with these. Singpass and PayNow are widely used – 4.2 million people use the Singpass app today, and over 300 million individual and corporate transactions were made on PayNow in 2022. Businesses have also benefited from digital services. Abundance is a restaurant bar that started out as a home-based business. When it first opened in 2021, it used the GoBusiness portal to apply for the necessary licences. This helped it to be set up quickly without having to go from agency to agency physically. The GoBusiness portal also suggested suitable grants, such as the Productivity Solutions Grant and Energy Efficiency Grant, which Abundance used to improve its operations. I am happy to hear that Abundance has since opened its second branch last year. These efforts have helped improve citizen satisfaction with government services from 73% in 2016 to 84% in 2022. Business satisfaction with government services has also improved from 64% to 79%. This progress motivates us to further improve, and as Ms Jessica Tan suggested, leverage digital technologies to improve our service delivery.”
“During the Parliament Sitting of 6 February 2023, I set out the Government’s considerations regarding SPH Media Trust’s (SMT) investigations. The events in question took place before SMT was formed and before the Government provided funding to SMT. I also explained that the findings of SMT’s internal review of circulation data from September 2020 to March 2022 had no bearing on public funds, as the data was not used to decide if and how much to fund. With no direct impact to public funding, the decision on whether to share its full investigation report with the public resides with SMT, which has its own executive team and Board. As I had stated in my reply on 6 February, MCI expects SMT to be mindful of their responsibility to maintain the public’s trust in their newsrooms and journalists, and do what is needed to meet its obligations. On when the report is expected to be completed, SMT’s Audit and Risk Committee should be provided adequate time for a thorough investigation. They can only make that determination based on their findings.”
“Book exchange corners are currently found in nine public libraries, spread out around the different parts of Singapore. They are self-managed community spaces set up within the National Library Board (NLB)'s premises, as an ancillary service to enable pre-loved books to find a new home. These book exchange corners are in: (a) Ang Mo Kio Public Library (b) Bedok Public Library (c) Bishan Public Library (d) Geylang East Public Library (e) Jurong Regional Library (f) Jurong West Public Library (g) Queenstown Public Library (h) Toa Payoh Public Library, and (i) Woodlands Regional Library. For public libraries located within shopping malls, NLB has less flexibility to support book exchange corners due to space constraints and the need to share common areas with other co-located tenants. The NLB is committed to supporting community reading spaces and will continue to look at ways to do so. For example, NLB recently rolled out Nodes at Parks, which saw book exchange corners being set up in popular green spaces across Singapore, with an ongoing one at Pasir Ris Park till the end of February 2023. NLB has also worked with partners to set up reading corners in community spaces such as selected Community Centres, Senior Activity Centres and Family Service Centres.”
“The Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore (ASAS), a self-regulatory body of the advertising industry under the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), promotes ethical advertising in Singapore through the Singapore Code of Advertising Practice (SCAP). ASAS’s Guidelines on Interactive Marketing Communication and Social Media further sets out the standards of ethical conduct that are to be adopted by marketers, advertising agencies or media that are involved in social media marketing. This includes social media influencers or companies. The Guidelines stipulate that the disclosures for sponsored content on social media should be clear and prominent. ASAS regularly engages the industry and social media influencers to increase their awareness of these Guidelines. Those who post commercial content without disclosing that they are sponsored are in breach of the Code, and will be asked by ASAS to amend or remove their content. Such advertisers have so far complied to include the disclosure in their content. The Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) Act (CPFTA) also seeks to protect consumers against unfair practices, including non-disclosures of sponsorship for social media content to the extent that it misleads or deceives consumers in relation to a consumer transaction. Social media influencers or companies that persistently engage in such unfair trade practices could be referred to the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) for investigation. ASAS is in the process of reviewing the SCAP and its Guidelines to ensure they remain relevant in the evolving advertising landscape. Consumers are encouraged to remain vigilant and discerning to make informed choices about products and services that are promoted on social media.”
“This question has been addressed in my reply to Question Nos 2 to 18 for oral answer on the Order Paper for 6 February 2023. [Please refer to "Government's Response to SPH Media Trust's Inflated Circulation Numbers", Official Report, 6 February 2023, Vol 95, Issue 81, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“It is important to ensure that everyone, including seniors and individuals who face challenges with technology or language barriers, can access and benefit from the digital services provided by the Government. This includes making high-traffic Government websites and e-services more accessible, offering programs like Seniors Go Digital to support seniors in embracing technology and providing non-digital alternatives. Beyond this, we regularly review how we can better support less digitally savvy residents. This includes tapping on new and different technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). For example, the Municipal Services Office’s OneService Chatbot using AI enables residents to more conveniently report municipal issues through common social messaging platforms. ChatGPT is one of the latest developments in this space. It leverages advances in large language models trained on massive amounts of text data and alignment techniques to generate human-like conversational responses on an extremely wide range of tasks. We are carefully studying the potential of adopting such AI technologies to boost digital inclusion, balancing considerations such as cost, reliability and other limitations arising from the technology itself. The Government is always looking for opportunities to innovate and enhance the lives of citizens, and we will do so in a responsible and safe manner.”
“These questions have been addressed in my reply to Question Nos 2 to 18 for oral answer on the Order Paper for 6 February 2023 and to subsequent clarifications sought by Members. [Please refer to "Government's Response to SPH Media Trust's Inflated Circulation Numbers", Official Report, 6 February 2023, Vol 95, Issue 81, Oral Answers to Questions section.] In essence, the findings of circulation discrepancy for the period of SPH Media Trust (SMT)'s internal review from September 2020 to March 2022 have not resulted in the loss of public funds. There is no change to the Government’s decision to provide funding to support SMT’s capability development. There is also no change to the amount of funding as it is targeted towards technology development, talent development and the strengthening of newsrooms, particularly vernacular newsrooms. I had also explained that certain questions would be better addressed by SMT after its Audit and Risk Committee has completed its further investigations and shared its findings. If there is evidence of fraud or other wrongdoing, SMT is obliged to do the right and lawful thing to refer to a relevant agency for follow-up. SMT’s approach to communications both within and outside the organisation, is a matter for its board and management to consider. Even so, MCI has made clear its expectations that SMT has a responsibility to uphold public trust. It must rectify what needs to be rectified, and be transparent with the public on how it intends to proceed.”
“The National Library Board (NLB) strives to ensure that its collections are appropriate for different age groups, in line with prevailing social and cultural norms. Its collection policy also takes reference from content guidelines provided by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). For children’s titles reviewed and assigned “Parental Guidance Recommended” Advisory, a Parental Guidance label will be shown in the library’s catalogue records and during check-out at book borrowing stations, to alert readers to potentially sensitive matter. NLB brings in an average of 86,000 new titles for the public libraries each year, to ensure that library collections remain updated and relevant for Singaporeans of all ages. When NLB receives public feedback on certain titles, it has processes in place to review the books concerned. This includes tapping on its Library Consultative Panel (LCP), an independent citizen-based committee from a wide cross section of society. Established in 2015, the panel provides diverse community perspectives and recommendations to NLB on the books that the public have highlighted. Since 2018, the NLB has received 42 instances of feedback from members of the public. One title was withdrawn, after consultation with the Library Consultative Panel, due to its violent storyline and illustrations. Seventeen children’s titles were moved to sections for higher age groups, one adult title was reclassified and moved to the reference section, while 23 titles, including books for children, young adults, and adults, were assessed to be suitable to remain in their original collections.”
“These questions have been addressed in my reply to Question Nos 2 to 18 for oral answer on the Order Paper for 6 February 2023. [Please refer to "Government's Response to SPH Media Trust's Inflated Circulation Numbers", Official Report, 6 February 2023, Vol 95, Issue 81, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”
“All telcos in Singapore, including virtual telcos, must comply with the Telecommunications Act, the Telecommunications and Media Competition Code and their respective licence conditions. These include requirements to safeguard consumers’ interests, such as: (a) seeking the Infocomm Media Development Authority’s (IMDA) prior approval before discontinuing mobile services, and (b) providing all affected subscribers at least three months’ advance notice of any intention to cease services. Should consumers have disputes with their telecommunications service providers, they may submit their cases to IMDA or go through the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) process set up by IMDA. Should telcos fail to comply with their regulatory obligations, IMDA will investigate and take appropriate action. Where there is a breach of regulatory requirements, IMDA may issue warnings or financial penalties, taking into account factors such as measures adopted by licensees to mitigate impact on consumers.”
“Mr Speaker, I am afraid I cannot agree with Mr Leong on that. If something is worth less and I have to take over something that is worth less, surely I cannot be expected to be provided more compensation. The one who defies financial logic is yourself, I am afraid, Mr Leong. But I leave it at this. In any case, let us come back to the nub of the questions and the public interest in this. At the end of the day, we have to ask ourselves: is the amount that we have decided to fund SMT's capability development the right amount? Regardless of what has been provided to SMT by its predecessor, SPHL, those considerations that I outlined in my reply remain valid.”
“Mr Speaker, on the specifics of how many copies were involved and so on, I believe this is better addressed after the Audit and Risk Committee has completed its investigation. At this stage, we do not know. On environmental impact, MCI recognises its importance but we are not in a position to respond to it authoritatively.”
“I thank the Member for his question. Perhaps, I would ask the Member – if the circulation data was in fact lower than what has been reported, would the compensation numbers received by SMT when the transfer took over, would that not be lower than they got? That actually goes against what you are trying to ask for. In any case, I think the nub of what Mr Leong has suggested is this: somehow, there was an inadequacy in our due diligence. I go back to this point: in hindsight, you can always find elements that could have been done differently. But let us come back to our review and the conclusion of that review. The conclusion of that review is that the reasons for funding SMT remain valid and the level of funding that we have set aside will not change. If you go by the outcomes of the review, I think the process speaks for itself whatever it is that we have put in place prior to making the decision to fund SMT and then thereafter, deciding on the amount.”
“Mr Speaker, on Mr Leong's first set of questions, I would humbly and respectfully refer him to the Hansard for my full reply. I believe I had addressed why the Government's own review has led us to the conclusion that the reasons for funding SMT's capability development remain valid and also why the levels of funding that we have decided upon remain valid. Just a quick recap, we are focused on technology development, talent development and the strengthening of the vernacular newsrooms. Should these be affected by the findings of the Audit and Risk Committee, at this stage, it is too early to say. I will not pre-judge. On his second point, if the decisions that were taken earlier remain valid, why do you say that the due diligence was not done as it should?”
“Mr Speaker, I would be careful about the terms that we use to describe SMT, its management or its actions. Until the Audit and Risk Committee completes its investigation and shares it findings, I will not pre-judge the outcome. I also made clear our expectations of SMT earlier in my reply to the Parliamentary Questions (PQs). The board will have to share the Audit and Risk Committee's findings with MCI after it has completed its investigation and rectify what needs to be rectified. What needs to be rectified, that is still not known yet. The Board is accountable to the members of the Company Limited by Guarantee, but they also have a responsibility to let the public know how they intend to proceed. I think this responsibility is not lost on them. If there was any doubt that they did not take this matter seriously, I do not see why they would have convened another review by their own Audit and Risk Committee.”
“Mr Speaker, on a day-to-day basis, many things happen in an organisation and it is up to the management to decide if and how each particular event or incident ought to be communicated, both within the organisation and outside the organisation. Keep in mind that this review was initiated by SMT and they were still in process. In fact, they have decided that they need to investigate more fully and that is why they have asked their own Audit and Risk Committee to take on this work on an extended basis. Should the manner in which they had communicated been approached differently? I think that is a matter that SMT, the management and the Board, will have to consider.”
“Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to reply in English, for the benefit of our colleagues? The circulation numbers may not have been our key consideration in providing funding, but the overstatement of these numbers is not right. SMT's Board as well as its management are aware of it and they are the ones that want to put things right by convening a further review by their Audit and Risk Committee. Keep in mind that these discrepancies were uncovered as a result of an internal review that was initiated by the SMT management in the first place. So, I think it is clear that the intent of the SMT Board as well as its management to put things on the right footing; and we should support them in this process.”
“Mr Speaker, on the Member's question on financial impact, the answer is we do not know. And that is the reason why the SMT Board has decided to ask its Audit and Risk Committee to investigate the matter more fully. And until they have completed their work and shared their findings, I think everything else that we say is speculative.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for his question. Until the Audit and Risk Committee completes its investigation and shares its findings with us, I will not pre-judge the outcome. If there is any evidence of laws having been broken, it will be the obligation of SMT to refer the matter to the Police. Even in those circumstances, we will have to look at what specifics have been revealed in order to assess the funding that the Government has committed to provide. There are safeguards in place and we will exercise them as necessary. But as it stands right now, our commitment to fund the capability development of SMT does not change. Our level of funding is also assessed to remain valid.”
“Mr Speaker, we do not know. These questions that the Member posed may be better addressed after the Audit and Risk Committee completes its investigation and shares its findings with us. Until then, I would not speculate.”
“Mr Speaker, the funding agreement is close to being concluded. And once we are satisfied that the KPIs have been properly set as well as the safeguards that I had explained earlier have been properly included in the agreement, we will release the funding.”
“This is important given that the Internet has made it exceedingly easy for foreign news and content producers to reach and influence our domestic audiences. In addition, there are the local vernacular news outlets, which are critical in preserving the voices of our multiracial communities. We must support them even though vernacular products are difficult to sustain financially, given their inherently smaller readership or viewership. The third reason is that in a crowded information space where anyone and everyone can be a publisher, citizens must have sources which they can trust to be accurate and objective. We saw how important this was during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our mainstream media including SMT played crucial roles conveying accurate information in a timely fashion. Based on an MCI survey, more than 70% of respondents accessed SMT’s digital content at least a few times a week in 2021, a jump of almost 30% since 2018. The Reuters Institute Digital News Report indicated that 77% of respondents expressed trust in The Straits Times in 2021, up from 70% in 2018. The public has continued to choose and trust SMT’s products. We need to keep these products as viable propositions so our people can continue to benefit from the public good of quality journalism. But staying in this game – and hopefully, getting ahead – requires deep investment in tech, infrastructure and capabilities. For example, The New York Times and German publishing giant Axel Springer have all run up hundreds of millions in investments to go digital. With the steep global decline of print media, the Government support to accelerate SMT’s transformation will give it a fighting chance in a highly competitive digital space.”
“SMT’s internal review of circulation numbers reinforced our assessment that the media landscape had become highly unfavourable for news organisations, even if they had substantial reach and were trusted by the public. In particular, demand for print and digital subscriptions had weakened because news had become freely available. This is why circulation had come under pressure. I emphasise: this does not make it right for anyone to overstate circulation numbers. But it reaffirms the need for restructuring. On the reasons to commit Government funds to support SMT, Members will recall that the Government had set these out on two occasions in Parliament. The first was through a Ministerial Statement in May 2021 by Minister Iswaran who was then Minister for Communications and Information. The second was in February 2022 when I responded to several Parliamentary Questions. It is useful to remind ourselves of the key reasons laid out on both occasions. The first reason is that our local news media is at a watershed. Structural changes, technological advances and the Internet have severely disrupted the media industry which traditionally relied on print advertising revenue. But moving to digital poses its own set of challenges. Our local news media face intense competition for eyeballs online. Moreover, the cost of running professional newsrooms often outstrips the revenue from an online model. Although digital advertising revenue has increased, a large share of it goes to Big Tech companies like Google and Meta. The second reason is that preserving local news media serves a larger, longer-term public interest. They give voice to the Singapore identity and Singaporean perspectives. They report world news for Singaporeans by Singaporeans.”
“From the Government’s perspective, we have three core interests in this matter: first, the usage of public funds; second, whether SMT’s findings on circulation affect the Government’s assessment of the need to provide funding support to SMT; and third, if we continue to assess that funding support is needed, whether the amount of funding should be revised. Mr Speaker, I will discuss these three core interests in turn. Parliament was informed in May 2021 that the Government supported the restructuring of SPHL’s media business into SMT. Subsequently, in February 2022, Parliament was informed of the funding that the Government was prepared to commit to support SMT’s capability development for five financial years, from FY2022. Up to now, we have not disbursed any funds. Moreover, the Government did not have a funding relationship with SMT before FY2022. Therefore, the findings of SMT’s internal review of circulation data from September 2020 to March 2022 have no bearing on public funds. Second, do the findings of SMT’s internal review affect the Government’s assessment of the need to provide funding support? This is what MCI’s own review sought to answer – and what Ms Jessica Tan, Mr Darryl David, Mr Don Wee, Mr Gerald Giam and others have asked about. MCI’s review started after SMT shared its internal report with the Government on 9 January 2023. We re-examined our analysis of the media landscape in early 2021, when the decision was taken to support the restructuring of SPHL’s media business into SMT. We also reviewed our reasons for committing public funds to support SMT’s capability development.”
“I will also address the related matters raised in the questions by Mr Darryl David,1 Mr Gerald Giam,2 Ms Hazel Poa and Dr Wan Rizal,3 which are scheduled for a subsequent Sitting. I invite Members to seek clarifications, if need be, at this Sitting. Members have asked about the internal review of circulation numbers by SPH Media Trust (SMT). The following is what we have been told by SMT, all of which is on public record. After the transfer of the media business from Singapore Press Holdings Limited (SPHL) to SMT in December 2021, SMT started a review to assess the data that it had taken over. This included circulation data. SPHL’s previous annual reports set out circulation data. These were stated to be in accordance with rules established by the Audit Bureau of Media Consumption Singapore (ABC). Over time, quantifying print circulation became less relevant and ABC ceased operations in Singapore in 2019. As many other publishers have done, SMT decided to reassess the methodology for reporting circulation data so as to establish a new measurement framework and baseline. The circulation data they reviewed covered the period September 2020 to March 2022. In its review, SMT found that circulation numbers in some months during the period under review were overstated by up to 90,000 average daily copies. Sir, these events took place before SMT was formed, when the media business was under SPHL, a private listed company. However, this discrepancy has impacted SMT, including the newsrooms and journalists. SMT’s Board and management have decided to investigate the matter fully. They will have to rectify what needs to be rectified and be transparent about how they proceed.”
“Mr Speaker, may I seek your permission to address Question Nos 2 to 18 in today’s Order Paper, as well as related written Question Nos 33 and 34 together?”
“The Home Access 3.0 programme provides eligible low-income households with affordable home internet connectivity through a two-year subsidised fibre broadband subscription. The assistance packages include options for a 500 megabit per second (Mbps) broadband plan and 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) broadband plan provided by M1 and MyRepublic respectively. Over 92% of beneficiaries are on the 500 Mbps plan, which can support a typical household’s digital needs such as Internet surfing, video calls and video streaming. A security deposit is not required for M1’s 500 Mbps plan, while MyRepublic’s 1 Gbps plan requires a refundable security deposit of $250 from some beneficiaries based on the company’s assessment of the customer’s profile. This deposit will be refunded if there are no arrears, and the contract is not prematurely terminated. Of the 19,500 beneficiaries on the Home Access 3.0 programme, about 2% had to pay the security deposit. Alternatively, applicants may opt for M1’s 500 Mbps plan which does not require a security deposit. The Infocomm Media Development Authority reviews its schemes regularly and works closely with telcos to ensure that needy households can be supported in obtaining digital access.”
“For example, citizens can visit our ServiceSG centres at Our Tampines Hub and One Punggol to access more than 400 frequently used government services physically. The other three ServiceSG centres located in community clubs also offer over 200 services that they can help citizens to complete. For agency-specific services such as those from the CPF Board, HDB, Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS), and Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), citizens are also able to make appointments at their respective service centres to access them physically. The Government is committed to ensure no one is left behind even as digitalisation progresses. We regularly review how we can better support less digitally savvy residents so they can continue to participate in our increasingly digital society.”
“The adoption of e-Government services has increased significantly in recent years, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, about 99% of Government transactions were completed digitally, up from 87% in 2018. The Government tracks the take-up of commonly used government e-services, with data broken down by age group. For example, Singpass, is used by 97% of Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents above the age of 15. Of the remaining 3%, 58% are aged 65 and above. As more government services digitalise, the less digitally savvy, such as seniors, may not be comfortable or able to use them. The Government is committed to ensure that our citizens can continue to communicate and transact with the Government, regardless of their digital ability. First, our e-Services seek to be easy to use for all our citizens including the elderly. Agencies are guided by international accessibility standards such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and some measures which we have adopted in websites and mobile apps include larger font sizes, more distinct colour contrasts and larger button sizes. Second, we have programmes to help our seniors pick up basic digital tools and skills so that they become confident in using our eservices independently. For example, the Seniors Go Digital programme was set up to provide individuals with one-to-one or small group training on skills such as how to use a smartphone to access government eservices. To date, more than 210,000 seniors have been engaged under the programmes. Third, we provide non-digital options for those who may not be familiar with or have access to digital services.”
“MCI does not track the amount spent by the Government on paid advertising based on nationality. Except for the Singapore Tourism Board in promoting Singapore as a tourism destination, it is not part of our communications and engagement strategy to pay foreign individuals to publish commentaries in support of Government policies or Singapore, on social media or anywhere else.”
“Mr Speaker, taking into consideration the reach of Free-to-Air (FTA) radio and television to a wide range of audiences including the young, dialect content is limited on these platforms to support the prevailing language policy of Mandarin as one of the four official languages. Nonetheless, we recognise the value of dialect programmes to convey information and public policies to the elderly who are conversant only in dialect, such as on MediShield, Pioneer Generation Package and other Government support measures. Mediacorp's Channel 8 provides a dedicated belt of dialect programmes every Friday late morning. Its radio station Capital 95.8FM also offers news bulletins in various dialects, read a few times daily. In exceptional circumstances such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowances were given to convey critical information and public service messages catered for the elderly as part of our national effort to provide accurate and timely information to every Singaporean about COVID-19 and to keep them engaged at home. There are currently no plans to allow more dialect programmes on FTA TV and radio. Such content is available on other platforms such as pay TV and over the Internet – and if I may add, in plentiful supply.”
“Further breakdown of the spending cannot be released because it is market sensitive and affects MCI's bargaining position with media owners on pricing of advertisement placement rates. MCI does not track the total number of impressions and clicks for each advertising medium for all Government advertising because Ministries themselves are responsible for measuring the effectiveness of their advertising. As an indication from MCI's own advertising initiatives, COVID-19 vaccination and safe management measures on e-getai shows that are targeted at Chinese seniors received over 7.5 million views in total. MCI also advertised several catchy music videos on the benefits of vaccination to appeal to different age groups and these have received over 9 million views online. One of the music videos, "Get your shot, Steady Pom Pi Pi", which features the character Phua Chu Kang, received over 1.7 million views on YouTube and 1.8 million views on Facebook. Polls show that three in four members of the public think that the Government has provided sufficient information on COVID-19. Over 86% agreed that vaccination messages helped in their decision to get vaccinated.”
“In a written reply in July 2016 to Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong's question, the Government explained that it did not keep track of the total amount that Ministries spend on online advertisements. This is because Ministries are responsible for their own advertising budget and expenditure. Since then, with the introduction of whole-of-Government demand aggregation for advertising procurement in October 2018, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) has been able to track a significant proportion of annual spending for advertising. MCI estimates that the Government's annual spending for advertising was between $150 million and $175 million, or around 0.2% of total Government expenditure in FY2019. It increased between 30% and 50% in FY2020 and FY2021, due to the unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, during which the Government needed to reach wide segments of the population, get messages to them frequently to keep them up to date on the unfolding nature of the pandemic crisis as well as to apprise them of essential information, including the benefits of vaccination and vaccination locations. Regular advertising to encourage the take-up of the bivalent vaccine is ongoing and continues to be needed. The Government also increased spending for advertisements to disseminate information on support schemes, employment assistance, upskilling and reskilling training for career development and pivoting to jobs in growth sectors. For the first half of FY2022, estimated spending is between $50 and $75 million under the demand aggregation contracting for advertising on traditional and online media. Of this, more than half went towards advertising in traditional media like print, Free-to-Air television and radio.”