Lim Sun Sun
Singapore
“Hitherto, some donors have been reluctant to provide Internet access to needy families, citing fears that they will be vulnerable to online risks such as pornography or gambling. We must therefore introduce more intensive in-school digital literacy programmes to help these children make up for the lack of scaffolding at home.”
“While training sessions are now encouraged to shift online, contractors now need to provide and record a full eight hours of online interaction. However, this does not take into account the fact that online training is more effective when it adopts a mixture of approaches such as flipped learning or blended learning.”
“I believe a targeted programme for unemployed mothers would be very useful in this respect. The Government could also support community efforts and partner with initiatives, such as the Mums@Work, to encourage mothers to remain working and to return to work. Gender Pay Gap”
“I wish to, therefore, conclude by underlining my strong endorsement of the subsidies announced in response to the current COVID-19 crisis. The $4 billion package announced to help workers remain employed through three months of offset wages offer a vital lifeline in current climes.”
“Conversely, an adverse experience from navigating a meandering and fragmented urban landscape will deter them from walking as much as could be possible or desirable. Improving walkability in HDB estates must, therefore, be a key tranche of our overall plans for active mobility and should not be an afterthought.”
“That is the reason why, in my answer, I shared that while the teachers will do one thing, and we are trying to improve ourselves and continue to refine the system, it is also the bigger society, the bigger support system and the people around the kid that will actually enrich and make the whole process holistic for the child in his or her…”
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“Even for companies that do have adequate data protection measures, we must consider how such data is used to develop algorithms to create or serve up more content targeted at children. Gaming, online shopping, content sharing and social media platforms profit significantly from the digital native market. However, the companies behind them often fail to take into account the responsibilities they have towards these young users and simply find more ways to engage them, for longer periods and with ever more alluring content that resonates with their interests. Young people then find themselves irresistibly drawn to these platforms, often using their digital devices excessively. The burden is then shifted to schools and parents who must persuade or even coerce young people to better manage their use of digital media. In such a climate, we must exhort technology companies to do more to create a safe and edifying digital environment for young people. In February this year, Instagram head Adam Mosseri met with the British Health Secretary Matt Hancock to discuss new measures the company would introduce to handle content promoting self-harm and suicide. This meeting arose in part from the suicide of 14-year-old British teenager Molly Russell. Her family believed she took her own life because her Instagram account was replete with material about depression, self-harm and suicide. Instagram has since pledged to better identify content relating to self-harm and hide it behind "sensitivity screens". Closer to home, a survey by international research agency YouGov found that a third of young adults here have self-harmed, with one in 10 doing so frequently. So, young Singaporeans' exposure to such content and their effects should also be more closely investigated.”
“What is of urgent import is that children be accorded rights to the necessary protections in a rapidly and ferociously digitalising world. By that, I refer to how young people are increasingly the target of commercial exploitation in the online world. Principally, our society needs to ensure that children enjoy rights to privacy and not have their data harvested and mined for profit. The same Google survey found that teachers here are more worried than parents about cyberbullying, while parents are most concerned about their children’s privacy and security online. Children’s privacy and security online are, indeed, a matter that requires closer attention. Take the example of the Internet of Toys. In January 2018, American electronic toy company VTech was fined $650,000 by the US Federal Trade Commission for failing to protect the privacy of children using its gadgets. Children use the company's Kids Connect app in conjunction with these electronic toys. Through this app, VTech collected a vast trove of information, including children’s names, contact information, photographs and audio files, without seeking consent from parents or even informing them. A security breach revealed that the company had failed to secure their young users’ data, allowing hackers untrammelled access. As children are using digital devices at ever younger ages, we need to hold companies to task for their data collection processes, especially those pertaining to children, by introducing requirements for greater care and transparency in their practices. Companies must also be urged to present their terms and conditions in a far more child-friendly and accessible manner so that young people know what they are signing up for when they use online services.”
“Indeed, my own research on the social media practices of juvenile offenders in Singapore reveals an interest among some youths to project a cool and tough image online by boasting of their misdemeanours on social media. One boy in my study had even shared a newspaper report of his crime on his social media accounts until his social worker cautioned him that it was very foolish to do so. Finally, public records of these offences severely compromise these youths’ future chances for education and employment. Indeed, given the replicability and durability of online images and reports, it is extremely difficult to “rewrite” one’s personal history. Extending identity protection to the age of 18 is, therefore, a timely and enlightened move, given that our public identities assume an oversized importance in our digitally-connected society as we concluded in our debate on the Protection from Online Harassment Act in May. With two additional years of confidentiality for young offenders, we can derive considerable social and developmental returns in our Internet-saturated society. Indeed, given our society’s growing technologisation, I would like to take this opportunity to raise the issue of the digital rights of children. At first blush, you may find it laughable to speak about digital rights for young people in Singapore since, wherever we turn, it seems like every toddler, teen and young adult seems to be attached to a digital device of their own. Access is clearly not the issue here. In fact, a Google survey found that Singaporean children get their first Internet-connected device at the age of eight, below the global average of 10, making them among the youngest in the world to go online.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I declare my interest as a member of the Media Literacy Council. I stand in staunch support of the Children and Young Persons (Amendment) Bill. I especially welcome the provisions to further protect the identity of the child. As it stands, the Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) restricts the publication and broadcast of any information relating to Court proceedings involving children and young people aged 16 and below that reveals their names, images, addresses, schools or other particulars. With the change, this protection will be extended to children aged 17 and 18. In so doing, we can, therefore, insulate our young people a little longer from media coverage of their offences and our efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate them will be far more effective. How so? Research from the United States (US) shows that media coverage of juvenile offences that fails to protect the identities of young offenders can have various detrimental consequences. First, the public shaming of young offenders can heighten tensions within their families and fracture the very unit of society that can play a pivotal role in these youths’ rehabilitation. Second, media coverage can lead these youths to be ostracised by their peers and teachers, thus crippling community-based rehabilitation measures. Third, negative media coverage can also lend offenders a semblance of celebrity status. In an era where it seems to be cool to go viral whatever the reason, media coverage of juvenile offences may encourage the tendency to re-offend and, possibly, influence other youths to commit similar crimes to attain notoriety and peer affirmation.”
“The first is that we have a public transport system that prioritises and invests in safety, of which we can be justifiably proud. The second is that we should consider whether public buses can be equipped with superior sensors to better alert drivers to the presence of pedestrians and other vehicles so as to avoid collisions as far as possible. The third takeaway is that in our Smart Nation efforts, urban analytics can be strategically marshalled to more accurately track vehicular and human traffic at all junctions, so that we can optimise traffic light timings to allow drivers and pedestrians to share the road efficiently, but also safely. With such analytics, we can better design junctions to allow for smooth flowing traffic, without increased cost to human lives. A well-functioning transport network is critical not just to our economy but also to the well-being of our citizens, ensuring that people and places are connected seamlessly but also safely. The RTA Bill will notably introduce stiffer penalties for reckless driving that will encourage drivers to be more mindful and conscientious. In conclusion, Mr Speaker, I strongly support this Bill and further measures that will help to boost safety on our roads.”
“Drivers wait anxiously in the right-turn box and make a dash for it when they note the absence of oncoming traffic, overlooking the fact that there could also be pedestrians crossing at the same time. In 2016, the hon Member Dr Chia Shi-Lu had inquired about accidents at right-turn lanes and, in his reply, Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed that between 2011 and 2015, there were a total of 14 fatalities and 319 injuries involving pedestrians and cyclists being hit by right-turning vehicles at such junctions. I am not aware of the latest figures since that period, but my accident surely was not the only one. In fact, in February this year, policewoman Mdm Salimah Mohamad was killed by a car turning right at such a junction in Shenton Way when the driver failed to keep a proper lookout. Clearly, such junctions that allow cars and people to cross simultaneously present distinct hazards. They require alertness and concentration on the part of everyone. But when we factor in that drivers, pedestrians and PMD riders may be increasingly distracted by their mobile devices, we have a veritable formula for disaster. LTA has introduced various safety enhancements to such junctions, including traffic light timings that give pedestrians a head-start in crossing the road and Silver Zones where speed limits are lowered to cater to the large number of senior citizens in these areas. Such initiatives are, indeed, helpful. But I would like to urge LTA to shorten the timeline for discontinuing these discretionary right-turn junctions from the projected five years, so that more accidents and fatalities can be prevented. My accident left me with several important takeaways.”
“Such information helps the company determine how reckless or safety-conscious their drivers are. Using such data, bus captains are effectively graded for their driving performance and the information is conveyed to them via a mobile app so that they can regulate and modulate their own driving as necessary. After my accident, the bus captain was immediately suspended when the investigation established that he was at fault and that there were no issues with the bus. Following the suspension, he underwent a day of retraining where his driving was assessed by a supervisor, before he was deemed roadworthy and returned to service. Incidentally, the telematics data revealed that he was consistently one of their safest drivers, which perhaps helps to explain why I am still here today! As a regular public transport commuter, I am reassured that this much attention is paid to safety. Furthermore, it is encouraging that we have harnessed technology to better guide our bus captains, helping them to maintain good safety habits and driving standards. And yet, accidents do and will happen, and we should strive to further reduce their number. I, therefore, wish to delve more deeply into the issue of discretionary right-turn lanes. I am heartened that LTA has concrete plans to discontinue most discretionary right-turn junctions within the next five years. Indeed, when I mentioned my accident to friends and acquaintances, they immediately raised the problem of discretionary right-turn junctions without my prompting. Colleagues and students who also use the junction where my accident occurred mentioned witnessing many near misses between cars and pedestrians, and cars and PMD riders. Discretionary right-turn junctions are fundamentally problematic.”
“As an occasional driver myself, I certainly do not wish to be in that position. Luckily for the both of us, I walked away from the accident largely unscathed. I endured severe aching for the next few days but fortunately did not suffer from any fractures or concussions. Indeed, I am truly grateful that I can stand here today to deliver this speech. My accident gave me much to think about, but especially in relation to road safety. What could have caused the bus captain to completely overlook my presence on a well-lit road when traffic was light, I clearly had right of way, and also had ample time to cross the junction. Was it a case of a driver whose shift was too long or who had had insufficient days of rest? Or was it an issue of the discretionary right turns, leading drivers to make a quick turn when there is no on-coming traffic, but forgetting that pedestrians, too, have the right of way? What exactly are the safeguards we have in place to prevent an accident like mine from recurring? Indeed, my friends remarked that had I been a child or a senior citizen, that the impact of the accident would have been that much more severe. I, therefore, reached out to the bus company to understand more about their safety procedures. The company was forthcoming. Two members of its senior management met with me and addressed all my queries. They were able to account for the bus captain's years of experience, driving schedule, daily working hours, break times and shift duration, all of which were well within mandated industry standards. They also shared with me their company's proprietary telematics system that monitors every bus captain for every journey, tracking data, such as their driving and turning speeds and instances of sudden braking.”
“Mr Speaker, I had not originally intended to speak on the RTA Bill, but life clearly had other plans for me. Last month, I was knocked down by a bus, a big, lumbering double-decker to be exact. On the evening of 13 June, at about 8.15 pm, I was crossing the road at the junction of Upper Changi Road East and Somapah Road on my way to the Singapore University of Technology and Design to meet my students. They had developed a game to educate the public about fake news and were excited to demonstrate it to me. And by the way, the game is brilliant. Coming back to me at the road junction, I had waited for the light to turn green in my favour and proceeded to walk once it did so. I assure the Members of the House that at no point was I using my phone and that I was single-mindedly focused on making my way across as briskly as possible. When I was about three quarters of the way to the other side, I suddenly felt something very large looming over me and I turned to my left to see a double-decker about this close to me. I was stunned and I even made eye contact with the driver and caught his horrified expression as he saw me. The next thing I knew, I had been thrown onto my back and I felt my head hitting the road very, very hard. At that point, I literally saw stars, those in my head and those in our beautiful night sky although I could not quite tell which was which. Thankfully, I did not lose consciousness and managed to scramble to the side of the road while the bus driver pulled over. He alighted to inquire as to my well-being and we exchanged information. In spite of my shocked and injured state, I felt profound sympathy for the bus captain. He looked highly stressed, likely worried about the consequences of the accident.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank the Minister for his effort to assure the academic community. I just have one point of clarification as well as some feedback. In the first instance, the Minister mentioned the distinction between the empirical disciplines as well as humanities which he said is not so empirical but is interpretive and critical. So, I do not think my Humanities and Social Science colleagues will forgive me if I let you get away with saying Humanities and Social Science research is not empirical. So, that would just be a point of clarification. The second point actually relates to the use of the term "public harm" which I think, at this point in the discussion, is somewhat confusing because we have actually been discussing the Bill which uses the term "public interest". So, I think that may actually create more issues of contention because there is a great deal of academic research that, while being of public interest, may not necessarily generate public harm. The third point is actually to deal with hon Member Dr Intan Mokhtar's suggestion that we should actually set up in universities, possibly, committees that actually help us to review whether or not these are actually falsehoods that have been made by academics perhaps unwittingly, and that these committees can help to advise the Ministers. While on the one hand I am sympathetic to that argument as a fellow academic, on the other hand, I think the very establishment as well as existence of such committees will, in fact, seem to underline the lack of academic freedom which I think would be an unhealthy signal to send.”
“Due to its shared funding, ICube will be less liable to attract allegations of partisanship, and, therefore, more likely to engender trust in its determinations of truth and falsity, and the verifications and refutations which it issues. Communication platforms are evolving rapidly and, along with them, the media usage patterns of consumers. In light of these shifting complexities, the possible unintended effects of legislative approaches to addressing falsehoods must be closely monitored and amended if necessary.”
“There is no issue of accountability because the Minister retains the final authority to take action. But with this panel, the Minister can act with the benefit of a wider range of views extending beyond those of civil servants. Going beyond POFMA for the longer term, in order to better align with the democratised nature of our media environment, we should further concretise this tripartite approach to tackling online falsehoods. We should establish what I call an Information Integrity Institute, or ICube for short, to supplement POFMA's correction regime. It should be funded by contributions from all media and technology companies. These can be pegged to a graduated scale commensurate with, for example, their annual returns from advertising. ICube will play a critical fact-checking role and develop the expertise to do so swiftly and effectively. It can host an online repository of verifications of falsehoods. Over time, it should develop a reputation as a reliable third-party fact checker that is the first port of call for consumers in need of authentication. It should also play a capacity-building role to professionalise newsmakers in the production of quality information and raise ethical standards within the media and technology industries. It can also set the research agenda by offering grants to investigate the effects of online falsehoods and potential solutions to the problem. Consumers, too, can also be involved in helping to flag suspect news. With robust fact-checking accessible to all consumers, we can nurture greater individual discernment and reduce our reliance on state-issued corrections.”
“Will falsehoods that do not come with corrections be summarily assumed to be true? Such unintended outcomes of a correction strategy cannot be ruled out, despite our best efforts and intentions. With the relentless proliferation of new communication platforms, many of which increasingly offer encryption to safeguard privacy, consumer habits, skills and even biases will evolve constantly. The execution of targeted or general corrections will differ from platform to platform, translating into varying degrees of consumer exposure to the corrections, and with varying levels of effectiveness. I would thus like to propose that if the Minister must retain the authority to issue directions expeditiously, he or she should be advised by a panel of experts representing the technology industry and media consumers, somewhat like the Film Consultative Panel. In other words, the Minister should have, at his disposal, the wisdom of an advisory panel that can determine whether a particular course of action is realistic or practical, or whether it could be counterproductive. For instance, a correction or takedown order in some situations might be either inefficacious or serve to further entrench the falsehood in question. Further, the type of targeted action could differ, depending on the type of media platform – what works for Facebook may not be as effective for Telegram or YouTube. The role of the technology companies in this panel is thus not to promote vested interests, but to identify industry best practices on what is most efficacious and practicable in the circumstances. The workings of such a panel need not slow down the process. Members can be pre-appointed and deployed at short notice to advise the Minister.”
“As currently proposed, POFMA requires Internet intermediary companies to reactively respond to the directives of the state rather than proactively develop other strategies to douse the spread of falsehoods. This may not be the best use of their resources. Instead, we should consider a more cooperative relationship that can facilitate mutual cooperation, education and engagement, where the state can be apprised of the latest technological trends and solutions, and technology companies can be schooled and reminded in the societal values that they must uphold. Since being tabled, POFMA has drawn criticism for vesting individual Ministers with the power to determine falsehoods and take action. Such views reflect the visceral resistance that people have to granting exclusive authority to a small number of individuals in our pluralistic media landscape. Furthermore, the proposed key measures of targeted and general corrections are based on evidence that when consumers are presented with both the original falsehood and the correction, they can consider the information in its totality and form their own conclusions. Although POFMA is meant to be platform-agnostic, the evidence we currently have on the effects of corrections is platform-, context- and even demographic group-specific. This raises several intriguing questions. Will targeted and general corrections counter-productively amplify the original falsehood to a wider audience, without a guarantee of the original or new audience reading the accompanying correction? Will we perversely and inadvertently create a cognitive shortcut where people seeing an official correction presume that the original falsehood must be true precisely because it is being vehemently debunked?”
“Hon Members of the House, if "fake news" was the word of the year for 2017, "POFMA" could go down in Singapore’s history as the word of the year for 2019. Indeed, this acronym for the "Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act", nifty by accident or design, has entered into our colourful Singlish lexicon. People have since been heard saying such things as "you better watch out, they POFMA you then you know!" or "wait you kena POFMA!" Indeed, so versatile is POFMA that it can serve as both a verb and a noun. Jokes aside, the sheer liveliness with which this new Bill has been discussed, both online and off, has brought to light several issues. Singaporeans acknowledge the scourge of online falsehoods and recognise the need to do something about it. But Singaporeans also care deeply about our online space, and our freedom to discuss and debate within it. Hence, there have been several aspects of the Bill that have stoked the greatest debate. These have been given considerable airing over both online and mainstream media and addressed by the Minister yesterday. I would like to focus on the need for a collaborative framework within the Bill which, as currently drafted, is lacking. Mr Speaker, the problem of online falsehoods is both multifaceted and unwieldy, necessitating a more creative and collaborative solution. Indeed, borrowing from the experience of our Labour Movement with its tripartite model comprising the Government, employers and workers, we can foster an innovative tripartite model for tackling online falsehoods, one that comprises the Government, media and technology companies as well as media literate consumers.”
“How significant an administrative cost might this impose on Internet intermediaries? And what impact will this new regulation have on Singapore's pro-innovation image? I look forward to hearing the Minister's clarifications.”
“We should not permit mob mentality to take root and be the first recourse for justice. Instead, we must allow for due process. Members of the public must also be educated that if they have evidence on any crimes or misdeeds, that they should turn it over to the Police rather than take matters into their own hands through doxxing. Second, we are transitioning towards a world which is increasingly powered by algorithms. Processes, such as college admissions, job applications and even insurance premium pricing, will progressively include more aspects of automated decision making. Automated searches of individuals' online profiles will play a bigger role in helping companies and organisations assess people. Research has found that many existing algorithmically-driven decision-making systems offer little room for recourse in situations of error. Individuals seeking redress must invest considerable resources, with little guarantee of success. Given such emerging circumstances, if someone’s online reputation is irretrievably damaged by doxxing, it will significantly hamper his or her existence in far-reaching ways and with life-long consequences. In as much as I support the inclusion of doxxing as a crime in the amendment to POHA, I would also like to raise my concerns about the new remedies for victims of falsehoods. Obviously, in light of the earlier points I made about the importance of our online reputations, I welcome the introduction of new remedies for victims of falsehoods. However, I would like to seek clarifications from the Minister about targeted and general correction orders. From the past records of MinLaw, what is the estimated volume of online falsehood cases that could be brought before the Courts by individuals and entities under POHA?”
“Online vigilantes have been praised for their heroism and for helping to bring criminals to justice. But their actions can also lead to the misidentification of individuals, with harmful consequences, especially when these vigilantes rush to "mete out justice". Using only partial information shared via social media, including grainy videos and blurry photographs, the chances of erroneous identification are high. In April 2017, when a video of a couple being rude to an elderly man in a Toa Payoh hawker centre went viral, netizens were quick to act but first identified the wrong man and woman. The wrongly identified woman recounted her ordeal in her Facebook post, calling it "an emotional period and scary moment". Such mistaken identification can lead to incalculable emotional and financial costs for the unfortunate victims. Even when the right individuals are correctly identified, it is unfair to have them harassed in this manner when they have yet to offer their side of the story. But they are sentenced prematurely by the court of public opinion in a manner that can be disproportionately harsh. Indeed, the equivalent Chinese term for doxxing is "renrou sousuo" 人肉搜索 or "human flesh search engine". This term graphically captures the rabid zeal with which online vigilantes hunt down and tear apart their targets. Mobile phone shop owner Jover Chew may have been despicable in making his customer kneel and plead for a refund. However, when netizens published all the personal details of him and his wife, forcing them to go into hiding, their boorish behaviour was just as questionable. In a society that is so connected, we cannot create a climate where online vigilantism is allowed to run riot and let the ferocity of the online mob inflict damage on individuals.”
“Mr Speaker, whereas your job is as old as the institution of Parliament itself, there are today many new jobs that 20 years ago were unheard of. Online reputation management, online reputation repair, online image rehabilitation, these are jobs that indicate the importance that companies and individuals attach to their online reputations today. The restoration of damaged online reputations has become a growing industry. In a digitalised world where a vast proportion of our daily interactions and transactions are undertaken online, in both professional and social realms, our online reputations are crucial to getting employed, making new friends and even finding a life partner. I, therefore, rise in support of the proposed amendments to POHA, particularly the introduction of doxxing as a crime. To date, doxxing has adversely affected many individuals worldwide and in Singapore. Individuals who have been seen behaving in socially unacceptable or unlawful ways have been taken to task by online vigilantes. These vigilantes mount campaigns to uncover personal information of individuals, such as phone numbers, addresses, workplaces and publish them online, thereby inviting possible harassment by the online masses. Victims of doxxing have been known to receive verbal abuse and even death threats to themselves and their families. Under the amendments, doxxing will attract stiff penalties, including fines of up to $5,000 and jail terms of up to 12 months that I believe will have a significant deterrent effect. Indeed, there are many reasons why the criminalisation of doxxing is both crucial and timely. In the first instance, doxxing, even when undertaken by seemingly well-intentioned online vigilantes, is often fraught with error.”
“As individuals, we must also exercise rationality and be careful when consuming online information and interacting with others online. Our individual efforts can help deter the widespread propagation of hate speech. (In English): Mr Speaker, a great deal more must be done to overhaul our information infrastructures so that hate speech and online disinformation are minimised, if not obliterated. Incentive structures and revenue models must be recalibrated to make the online environment more positive and edifying. Until and unless such measures see the light of day, each of us must exercise rationality and restraint to prevent the rise of Manufacturing Hate 4.0.”
“" As it stands, today's information infrastructures make it difficult to contain hate speech. A fleeting like, a casual share, a throwaway comment – all these micro-actions can come together in a digital patchwork to create a tapestry of hostility. Social media and participatory platforms have made it all too simple to produce and spread hate speech. We cannot, therefore, surrender authority for our communication to technological infrastructures, even as hard-wired algorithms increasingly rob us of our agency. Instead, we must strive, individually and collectively, to restore humanity to our interpersonal interactions. To this end, there are two things each of us must do – exercise rationality and practise restraint. First, in exercising rationality, we must confront our own biases and our inclinations to fall prey to them. Recognise that we can be easily swayed by sensationalist content that is emotive in nature. Resist the urge to confirm only our own beliefs, and remain open to a healthy diversity of views. Second, in practising restraint, remember that online, even though we cannot be seen and we cannot see others, that there are humans on the other side of the screen. Refrain from making baseless, inflammatory comments that disparage others. Above all, do not condone or share hate speech. Mr Speaker, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The terror attack at Christchurch tells us that the Internet, being a communication medium, presents certain problems. It can allow people harbouring hatred to freely produce and spread hate speech which is harmful to the society. Our society must act to change the online environment to prevent the harmful effects of hate speech and online falsehoods.”
“In response to Kurdi's death, posts emerged that made light of his demise. Using macabre humour, they denigrated immigrants from the developing world and poked fun at refugees. In so doing, these posts used humour to mask what were fundamentally racist and nationalist views. Topinka, the author of the study, concluded that, I quote, “cloaks, including humour and visual remediation, can provide cover if not sanction for such discourses…[and] reproduce one of the most dominant and destructive political trends of our times". I have spoken today about only two trends in our digital landscape that allow hate speech to run riot, but there are very many more. Emboldened by anonymity, fuelled by interactivity and powered by mass connectivity, online hate speech can sweep through communities swiftly and insidiously if left unchecked. If I could ask Members of the House to reflect on your not-so-distant youth, recall how you felt when you turned 30. I reckon that you saw it as a major milestone, a definitive step into adulthood. You felt sufficiently capable to make a difference in the world and mature enough to tackle life's challenges. Mr Speaker, the World Wide Web is 30 this year. Is it the confident mature grown-up striding boldly into adult life? If the Christchurch shooting is anything to go by, I think not. A medium that enables a cold-blooded killer to broadcast carnage by his own hand to millions of viewers is hardly mature. Indeed, the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners Lee, alluded to the fact that his creation is still in its awkward teen years. He declared that, I quote, "when you grow up, you have to accept responsibility, you have to realise that free speech is great but hate speech is not.”
“By spreading such combative posts, images and videos, these fabricated pages quickly triggered thousands of user comments and shares. Although some readers questioned the veracity of these pages and reported them to Facebook, the majority continuously echoed the antagonistic discourse pitting Muslims against Danes. The anonymous page administrators were also careful to delete comments that suggested these pages could be fake. Through this systematic construction of hostility between the two groups using visually arresting and emotive content, the page owners sought to normalise antagonism. They depicted these two groups as being fundamentally incompatible with each other, thereby sowing discord and legitimising discrimination. Platform antagonism is thus a potent variant of online hate speech that is facilitated by our digital information infrastructures. A second issue of concern is disguising racist and nationalist views as dark humour on participatory media. Participatory media include platforms, such as Reddit, YouTube and Tumblr, that allow for the uploading and sharing of user-generated content. A study by Robert Topinka of the University of Sussex, published in 2018 in the journal New Media and Society, analysed user-generated images and posts based on the photograph of Alan Kurdi. This three-year-old boy became the tragic face of the Syrian refugee crisis of 2015 when his body was washed up on a Turkish beach. This poignant image of Kurdi would be repurposed and ridiculed in a community of interest within Reddit. The specific subreddit r/ImGoingToHellForThis had over half a million subscribers and claims to mock political correctness in the interest of promoting free speech. Posts on this subreddit are patently and unabashedly racist and nationalist.”
“Hon Members of the House, allow me to walk you through a few simple steps. You take one racially charged social media post, add a sprinkling of likes and shares, then layer on a litany of toxic comments. Torch your volatile mixture with an algorithm that draws eyeballs and clicks. And there you have it – the simple formula for Manufacturing Hate 4.0. These are the everyday ingredients and steps for producing hate speech. How did these ingredients come so easily within the grasp of you and me? In short, information infrastructures. The Minister has spoken today about the dangers of hate speech and its adverse impact on our social fabric. I will speak on how the digitalisation of our information infrastructures has made hate speech an increasingly lethal threat, one that demands a concerted response, both societally and individually. Digital information infrastructures, including social media, such as Facebook, and participatory media, such as Reddit, allow hate to propagate in innovative and insidious ways. I will highlight two issues of concern. The first is an alarming practice termed as platform antagonism. This refers to the use of fake identities in social media platforms to discredit particular ethnic, cultural or religious groups. In a study by academics from IT University of Copenhagen, published in 2018 in the journal Critical Discourse Studies, Johan Farkas, Jannick Schou and Christina Neumayer studied fake Muslim pages on Facebook. These pages were purportedly by Muslim extremists living in Denmark who were plotting to rape and kill Danish citizens. They were apparently also agitating to dismantle institutional structures and transform Denmark through the imposition of sharia law.”
“As professors, we can easily tell which projects have female team members because their innovations and designs invariably have that special touch. So, what initiatives can we introduce to increase gender diversity in male-dominated sectors? Our SkillsFuture Credit programme can certainly help women to upskill. However, we also need to better support women who take leave for pregnancy, childcare or eldercare to help them sustain and broaden their professional networks. This will help smoothen their path as they return to the workforce. Can we, therefore, introduce credit programmes that can help defray the cost of membership in professional societies? Can we also have special incentives for companies in sectors where women are under-represented, to introduce more FWAs and better childcare support? And can we also foster more incubation schemes that cater to the circumstances of female innovators and that offer more systematic mentoring? More importantly, can we fund systematic longitudinal research that tracks the career trajectories of women through various industry sectors so that we can better understand their reasons for attrition as well as the factors that promote re-entry into the workforce? It is only with robust evidence that we can take a more proactive approach to ameliorating this problem of female under-representation. These are investments that Singapore can and should make not just for women but for our society as a whole. Flexible Work Arrangements”
“We are logical and rational thinkers and also possess the self-awareness, perception and social skills that are crucial for understanding people, interpreting difficult situations and resolving conflicting needs. Women also continue to bear most of the responsibilities as caregivers, caring not just for the next generation, but also for the elderly in our ageing society. Women's perspectives are thus especially illuminating for improving the innovations and services that facilitate the performance of such critical duties. To say it is difficult for women to balance the needs of home with the pressures of career is, therefore, a gross understatement. While the number of women entering the technology sector is not sizeable to begin with, attrition rises sharply after pregnancy and childcare. In a fast-moving sector, such as technology, the task of reintegrating is significantly more daunting as one's skills become quickly outdated. This attrition translates into a pipeline issue. Because there are fewer women to rise to the top, younger women do not see sufficient female role models in the technology sector. They are thus discouraged from joining the sector or they leave prematurely, uncertain of their future prospects. Upstream as well, we must try our best to boost the number of women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) so that we can nurture the next generation of women technological leaders. At SUTD, we make concerted efforts to maintain a 40% women enrolment in our engineering and architecture programmes. Indeed, our female students bring well-rounded perspectives and refreshing ideas when working in collaboration with their male counterparts.”
“Mr Chairman, I declare my interest as a Professor in the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) and as a founding committee member of the Singapore Computer Society's Women in Technologies, Special Interest Group. I greatly appreciate the various provisions that have been announced in this year's Budget to better recognise the needs and contributions of women. I would like to take this opportunity to offer suggestions on how we can better support women in the male-dominated technology sector so that it can be much more inclusive. Indeed, there are distinct benefits to greater gender diversity across all industries but perhaps especially so in the technology sector. In Caroline Perez's book "Invisible Women", exposing data bias in a world designed for men, she provides compelling evidence to show how the silencing of women's needs and perspectives can be costly and downright fatal: crash test dummies that are based on the average male physique, ill-fitting armour that fails to protect policewomen, and cancer research based principally on data on the male immune system. These are all sobering examples of how the omission of women's needs can cost lives. As our society is technologising rapidly, the digital and physical infrastructures that shape much of our everyday lives must necessarily reflect the needs of all and not just half of humanity. We must thus ensure that the distinct strengths of women and our valuable insights are given every opportunity to shape technology and design. After all, research shows that women have tremendous socio-emotional intelligence.”
“Mr Chairman, I declare my interest as a Professor at SUTD. The SSG programme has systematically introduced adult learning into our education landscape and implanted the idea of lifelong learning in the minds of Singaporeans. Given the considerable investment in SSG at both the national and individual levels, we must seek to better understand how effective SSG courses have been for individuals with a genuine motivation to upgrade themselves. The hon Member for Tanjong Pagar, Mr Melvin Yong, spoke last week about the issues of relevance and scope of courses, the often considerable costs involved and time investment needed that workers may be unable to spare. I, too, have heard similar feedback from my former students and professional acquaintances. I would, therefore, like to ask, how MOE measures the efficacy of SSG provisions in terms of meeting changing industry needs. In addition, what processes have we put in place to review the content and quality of courses and instructors in general but also to ensure that industry perspectives are taken into account?”
“Mr Chairman, I commend the establishment of the Digital Readiness Blueprint but would like to ask how it caters to the varying skillsets of Internet users. While we, fortunately, do not have a digital access divide in Singapore, research around the world has shown that the "second level digital divide" pertaining to online skills can significantly influence how much people can benefit from their online experience. Furthermore, with our high smartphone penetration rates, we need to pay particular attention to Internet use via mobile phones. Because the mobile Internet is centred around apps, mobile-only users who rely exclusively on mobile devices are quite distinct from mobile-first users who use mobile devices predominantly but in combination with other devices. These differing usage patterns can translate into different online experiences that reflect variances in online competencies and breadth of exposure to content. These can, in turn, shape individual worldviews and understanding of key societal issues that impact their personal lives. How do we then map the skills covered by the Basic Digital Skills Curriculum against prevailing Internet usage trends in Singapore? Also, what plans are in place to have the curriculum regularly refreshed to take into account (a) shifting technological trends and (b) changing needs in schools and workplaces? Digital Readiness”
“Mr Chairman, as we make definitive strides in realising our Smart Nation ambitions, I greatly welcome the announcement of the Proposed Model AI Governance Framework. While big data, deep learning and neural networks may sound abstract, their growing deployment has real consequences for society. AI-driven automated decision-making is increasingly being used for systems and processes that determine product prices, insurance premiums and job recruitment, just to name a few. These are areas where alarms about algorithmic bias have, indeed, been raised. Issues relating to data justice, algorithmic fairness and explainable AI must thus be closely monitored to ensure that we reap the best of technology while effectively managing unintended adverse consequences. The Proposed Model AI Governance Framework is, therefore, especially timely. It will help to warrant that our drive for innovation does not leave ethicality in the dust. By enunciating a common AI governance approach and offering a set of consistent definitions and principles relating to the responsible use of AI, we provide greater certainty to industry players. Can MCI, therefore, share its plans for ensuring that this framework is effectively disseminated across all relevant industries? How will it raise awareness of the guidelines governing the responsible use of AI and encourage their application? Are there also plans to have this framework introduced into the curriculum of students taking AI-related courses in our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs)? Critical Information Infrastructure”
“Controversies in Big Tech have shown how inattention to ethical considerations can lead to issues, such as Facebook's Cambridge Analytica debacle and Uber using its technology to track users’ locations against their will. In this regard, the Proposed Model AI Governance Framework launched in January is both farsighted and commendable. I look forward to it being disseminated across the relevant industry and education sectors. I would like to further suggest that ethical literacy be systematically phased into young Singaporeans’ educational journeys, where we could consider refreshing and updating our civics and moral education curriculum to take into account emerging ethical dilemmas that are fast arising in Industry 4.0. In conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, I believe the proposed Budget will advance our Smart Nation drive, but we should also complement it by inculcating in our people cross-cultural literacy, digital literacy and ethical literacy.”
“At the same time, we may wish to offer digital roadmaps for critical issues that everyone has to deal with. For example, how can individuals seek reliable health information online and how can families obtain sound advice on managing household finances? In my research on parents with school-going children, I found that some parents were daunted by the online homework their children were given and felt deeply insecure about their inability to help their children. Indeed, our digitally-connected world is constantly expanding in complex ways, with an ever-proliferating range of apps, portals, platforms and content. As far as possible, we must offer signposts to help people navigate their way online and make sense of the deluge of information they encounter. The final literacy I wish to speak on is ethical literacy. Because our society is becoming more digitalised, with a growing embrace of the Internet of Things, Big Data, AI, machine learning and automation, we must enhance the ethical literacy of our workforce to ensure that these technologies are deployed in the best interests of our society. Whether the solutions to our wicked problems are technologically or socially engineered, they must accord with our values and align with the ethical principles we collectively subscribe to. In this regard, we must vest our workforce with the competencies to recognise ethical issues where and when they present themselves, understand different ethical perspectives and to apply these perspectives to help resolve ethical conundrums. Who should be given access to information about whom and for what purpose? How do we draw the line between customer-orientation and surveillance? When should automated decision-making yield to human judgement?”
“To better develop Singapore into a node both within Asia and globally and ensure that our citizens are well placed to tap on such opportunities, our schools from primary through to tertiary levels should make greater efforts to strengthen and deepen our students' appreciation of the region. Moving on to D for digital literacy. Singapore has done well in terms of providing access to digital devices and services. Schemes, such as the National Education University (NEU) Personal Computer (PC) Plus and Home Access programmes for low-income households, and Enable information technology (IT) for persons with disabilities, have helped to make sure that all Singaporeans have basic access to digital technology. Fortunately, we do not face a significant issue of a digital access divide. However, we must be vigilant about any emerging digital skills divides that may find certain segments of our population less advantaged and less able to benefit from our digitalisation push. I, therefore, welcome the Ministry of Communications and Information's Digital Readiness Blueprint and its recommendation that all citizens be equipped with a foundational set of digital skills. These pertain to managing information, communicating, transacting and maintaining cyber safety. Going beyond the Basic Digital Skills Curriculum, however, we need to pay particular attention to providing support for specific demographic groups that may require more targeted assistance. For instance, how do we ensure that emerging adults from across the socio-economic spectrum are prepared for the job market in terms of knowing how to profile their competencies, utilise job portals, seek online career mentoring and access skills upgrading programmes?”
“To fortify our rich multicultural heritage, we must create more spaces and opportunities for meaningful cross-cultural understanding. Rather than simply trading in essentialist and simplistic caricatures of different cultures, we need to create forums where people are unafraid to ask tough questions of one another, confront their unconscious biases and dispel long-held misconceptions. Cross-cultural interactions should be well developed, organised and supported by facilitators, failing which these encounters may create confusion, trigger misunderstandings and, at worst, reinforce stereotypes and prejudices. Greater cross-cultural literacy can help to forge a more inclusive society where diversity is valued rather than frowned upon. Efforts to enhance cross-cultural literacy should be introduced not only in schools, but also in community and corporate events so that working adults can benefit as well. Ultimately, social ties that are undergirded by greater cross-cultural literacy will be more enduring and resilient. They can serve as a bulwark against threats, such as online disinformation campaigns, that seek to foment inter-ethnic discord. Beyond Singapore, our people must also inculcate a deeper understanding of our neighbours. Our region boasts of a rich cultural heritage and tremendous growth potential. And yet, many young Singaporeans view our regional neighbours as nothing more than holiday destinations. Many industry leaders I meet increasingly lament that Singaporeans are averse to job postings in the region as they view them as being less glamourous and rewarding than those further afield. And yet our region is home to fast-growing markets where there are many inroads to make significant impact.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, the hon Minister for Finance has announced a Budget that charts strategic paths for Singapore in the face of formidable headwinds. In particular, this Budget will help us to confront and harness the forces of digital disruption as they interact with demographic shifts, Asia's growing ascendancy in the world economy and subsiding support for globalisation. Indeed, even as the Budget takes into account the critical needs of lower-income households, it also seeks to boost the capabilities of our people and the companies that power our economic transformation. Hence, different schemes for companies, such as Innovation Agents, SMEs Go Digital and the Automation Support Package are especially welcome. Minister Heng Swee Keat also spoke of the need for our people to have the skills, knowledge and aptitude to flourish in our fast-changing and technologising world. In this regard, I would like to highlight three critical literacies we must seek to nurture in our people, to help us all better adapt to our rapidly evolving environment. If the Annual Budget starts with A and B, I would like to speak today about literacies beginning with C, D and E. These are cross-cultural literacy, digital literacy and ethical literacy. The Minister had, in fact, raised the need to cultivate cross-cultural literacy among our young so as to broaden our regional and international connections. Allow me, therefore, to unpack the concept of cross-cultural literacy and how it is more crucial today than ever before. Cross-cultural literacy is the ability to understand and interact across different cultures in a manner that is sensitive to differences, yet respectful of diversity.”
“In addition, I would also like to suggest that the Minister engage with big technology companies to remind them of the contributory and supportive role they should play in helping to minimise young people’s exposure to images portraying smoking in a positive light. These companies possess the ability to alter their algorithms to stem the spread of such images, in the same way that they have algorithms to weed out obscene and extremist content. Mr Speaker, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Although this Bill will help promote plain tobacco packaging, for the young, curbing smoking at the sales stage may already be too late. The young can be easily influenced by the positive image of smoking created by social media marketing. Such marketing is sponsored by multinational tobacco companies. Although there are no such marketing campaigns in Singapore thus far, the borderless nature of the Internet means that our young can come into contact with these positive images of smoking through social media, such as Instagram and Snapchat. Hence, social media has become a new area where our health authorities must battle the marketing strategy of depicting smoking as a desirable lifestyle choice. MOH must work with other countries and WHO to take action to fight this unhealthy trend. (In English): In conclusion, Mr Speaker, I hereby register my concerns about the deleterious trends surrounding novel and surreptitious ways of promoting smoking and vaping. I strongly support this Bill and hope that the Ministry will monitor such covert marketing to Singapore’s youths, with a view to an even stronger Bill in future.”
“Because of the lack of transparency surrounding the algorithms that determine what content social media platforms serve us, we cannot discern why we may be seeing more of particular forms of content. Neither can we exert more active control over our social media feeds should we so choose. Young people who like, share or comment on images portraying negative behaviours as hip and trendy, with particular hashtags, may be unwittingly served more of such images on their social media feeds. Such transnational social media campaigns that actively promote smoking will undo the value and hard work of anti-tobacco legislation and enforcement that have been in place worldwide for decades. Hence, I would like to ask the Senior Minister of State whether there will be greater effort made to track the use of social media by tobacco and e-cigarette companies for promoting their wares in Singapore through such underhanded methods. I would also like to ask whether the Ministry will work with the Advertising Standards Authority of Singapore to establish more concrete guidelines around the responsibilities of social media influencers with regard to full disclosure in cases of sponsored content by tobacco and e-cigarette companies. I would further like to suggest that the Ministry work with its counterparts in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and countries further afield, as well as WHO, to take action against this egregious and damaging practice of using social media campaigns to circumvent restrictions against tobacco advertisements.”
“Influencers are given strict instructions on which cigarettes to feature, how to take natural photographs which do not resemble advertisements, when they should post these images for optimal audience engagement, as well as the hashtags that they must use. In one particular country, the influencers were even told to conceal the health warnings on the cigarette packs before posting the images. Such shady tactics are calculated to mislead young people into thinking that these images are organic social media content that simply reflect youth culture. While there is fortunately no evidence to show that social media influencers in Singapore have been targeted by tobacco companies in this way, the porous and borderless nature of the Internet means that young Singaporeans can nevertheless be exposed to such images. Many social media influencers also have a global fan base, so even campaigns originating from well beyond our shores can appeal to our youths if influencers with a strong following in Singapore are mobilised. After all, Singaporeans are avid social media users, with young Singaporeans being the most active. Of particular pertinence to Singapore is the fact that most of these social media campaigns promoting smoking almost exclusively use English even when it is not the lingua franca of the country from which these campaigns originate. The highly visual nature of social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat, also means that language is essentially no barrier to the communicative impact of such images. This is yet another issue, in addition to online falsehoods, that shows how the extensive reach of big technology companies with a global presence has significant ramifications on society.”
“These campaigns capitalise on the appeal of social media influencers through photographs featuring these young role models smoking in cool venues while wearing trendy clothing, accompanied by catchy hashtags. Deceptively, however, no explicit mention is made of the tobacco companies behind these campaigns. Such visually arresting content seeks to depict smoking as a normal practice among young people and, indeed, showcases smoking as a glamorous and desirable lifestyle choice. In the US, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids has led several organisations, including the American Academy of Paediatrics and the American Lung Association, to mount a petition requesting action by the US Federal Trade Commission. This petition asserts that tobacco companies are actively promoting smoking via hundreds of thousands of images, hashtags and videos shared by young people on social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. The reach of such content is sizeable. Research by the petitioners found that a mere 123 hashtags linked to these tobacco companies’ social media campaigns were viewed 8.8 billion times in the US and 25 billion times worldwide just on Twitter alone. These multinational tobacco companies have initiated such media campaigns in numerous countries throughout Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Central, North and South America, roping in high-profile youth influencers in each country. Closer to home, tobacco companies have funded such campaigns in neighbouring countries, such as Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand.”
“Mr Speaker, I rise in support of the Tobacco (Control of Advertisements and Sale) Bill. This proposed move towards clean packaging will align Singapore with WHO's Framework Convention on Tobacco Control along with countries, such as Australia, France, New Zealand and the UK, which have also mandated standardised packaging for tobacco products. I would like to commend MOH for its considerable preparatory work in proposing these changes, referencing over 200 studies and holding three rounds of public consultations. Such a concerted effort to stamp out smoking is crucial because it exacts a significant toll on our society, as the Senior Minister of State noted earlier. Over the last 10 years, Singapore has seen no definitive patterns of sustained decline in smoking prevalence, which has hovered between 12% and 14%. According to a study published in Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, smoking prevalence in Singapore approximates 15% among adults and 6% among youths aged 13 to 15. Notably, research by the Singapore Cancer Society found that 80% of adult smokers in Singapore picked up the habit before reaching 21. Indeed, studies in other parts of the world have shown that people who smoke during adolescence are 16 times more likely to become adult smokers. Given the evidence that early experimentation with smoking is a predictor for smoking dependency in adulthood, we must, therefore, do our utmost to discourage our young from acquiring this harmful habit. I would like to, therefore, take this opportunity to draw the attention of the House to an issue of growing concern worldwide. This is the circumvention of restrictions on tobacco advertising by multinational tobacco companies through the use of insidious social media campaigns.”
“Mr Speaker, I would like to thank the two Ministers for their illuminating Statements. On the issue of ISS, it is encouraging that we are exploring the Virtual Browser option. But at the same time, during the exercise of ISS, I wonder whether there were instances of healthcare workers using their personal devices and data plans to access the Internet for work purposes and whether such practices introduced security risks and if, in future, there will be safeguards to caution our healthcare workers against these kinds of actions?”
“At the same time, however, I would like to ask the Minister whether there will be greater attention paid to (a) enhancing the design of e-payment services so that transactions can be speedier and more intuitive, and (b) addressing concerns about the negative impact of e-payments on personal financial habits. Also, with the burgeoning market in e-payment providers out there, some consumers are clearly experiencing cognitive overload and perhaps even choice paralysis. Hence, I would like to propose to the Minister that public education efforts be stepped up to better communicate to consumers the various options, protections and incentives that they enjoy with the different emerging e-payment methods out there. In particular, I would especially welcome targeted education for the elderly who are less well-acquainted with digital devices and platforms and may, therefore, be especially anxious about our shift towards a cashless society. Mr Speaker, in Mandarin, please. (In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] To build a Smart Nation, we must rely on technologies to achieve the vision of a cashless society. We need to strengthen consumers’ trust and confidence in e-payment. The consumer protection provisions in the Bill will help boost consumer confidence. At the same time, we also need to improve the design of e-payment interfaces so that it is easier to use. We need to guide the public, especially the elderly, on how to use these apps. (In English): In conclusion, Mr Speaker, notwithstanding the issues I have raised, I support this Bill.”
“Currently, some e-payment methods involve several steps that may yet require more time per transaction than by just paying with good old cash. Overall, there is also the problem of too many e-payment platforms and choices, and we need to accelerate systems integration to overcome the current fragmentation. So, I welcome the Minister's assurance in that regard. The launch of the SGQR code is one positive step in that direction. Another often heard reservation about the shift towards cashless payments is that people will become desensitised to the value of money and will, therefore, develop reckless spending habits. Such an aversion to e-payments rests on the belief that physically parting with your money gives one the sense of pain and loss and can help instil frugality. Such concerns, well-founded or otherwise, can be easily addressed with some critical design interventions. Stored value e-wallets already highlight the amount remaining in the account, and provide a helpful log of all recent transactions. Additional features, such as those allowing users to set a savings target for each month, can also help to nurture good financial habits, including fund management, budgeting and credit management. Taken together, therefore, all these concerns highlight three salient points of action for addressing consumer resistance to e-payments in general. These are trust, design and communication. I, therefore, welcome the additional consumer protections introduced by this Bill that will help to shore up consumer confidence and trust in e-payments. I also look forward to MAS' implementation of the E-Payments User Protection Guidelines at the end of this month.”
“Precisely because of our more mature financial ecosystem, consumers are well-accustomed to, and very well-served by the Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) and credit cards. The relative advantage of newer e-payment systems is thus not as significantly felt. Cash also remains king. An MAS-commissioned KPMG study in 2016 found that cash is used in 60% of all non-stored value facility transactions. Cash is also the favoured payment option for small-value transactions, such as in hawker centres, convenience stores and taxis. The introduction of automated cash collection machines in hawker centres and supermarkets may also further entrench our reliance on cash. Yet, the benefits of going cashless are considerable. The same KPMG study estimated that processing cash and cheques in terms of their storage, transportation, security and incineration costs S$2 billion per year or around 0.5% of our gross domestic product (GDP). In many respects, therefore, e-payments are eminently superior and we must zero in on the probable causes of consumer resistance to the newer e-payment services out there. I have heard concerns, even from acquaintances in their 20s and 30s, that they do not use e-wallets or mobile payment because they are not confident of their security or reliability. Indeed, the results of PayPal's "Digital Payments: Thinking Beyond Transactions" survey released in August 2017 found that 51% of Singapore consumers surveyed expressed privacy concerns. Sixty-three percent said that more payment methods meant more confusion for consumers, and 53% found it challenging to keep up with fast-moving digital trends. Separately, there is also feedback that e-payment interfaces should be much more intuitive so that they can help speed up transactions.”
“Speaker, thank you for this opportunity to speak on the Bill. I wish to focus on the consumer protections that will be strengthened with this Bill. Specifically, the Bill will regulate the issuance of e-money, so that the funds we have in our e-wallets, including those for peer-to-peer transfers, will be protected by legislation. Personal e-wallets will also receive additional safeguards in the form of e-wallet and transfer limits, thereby according greater protection to vulnerable users, such as the elderly. These measures will help to boost consumer confidence in e-payments and give our fintech sector a further shot in the arm. Indeed, e-payments have deep roots in Singapore. Over three decades ago, in March 1985, the Government launched the National Campaign to Minimise Cash Transactions to urge Singaporeans to undertake more financial transactions electronically, so as to increase productivity, reduce costs and make cashless transactions a way of life. This three-month campaign successfully convinced more Singaporeans to switch to receiving their salaries through direct credit to the bank, pay bills electronically via General Interbank Recurring Order (GIRO), and make purchases through the Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale service. With that historical context in mind, we need to ask why Singapore is not even further ahead in realising our vision of a cashless society. While Singapore is widely regarded as a fintech hub, it is also common to hear observations that we lag behind our regional neighbours in areas, such as mobile payment. Our relatively slower adoption of mobile payment is somewhat anomalous, considering Singapore's early embrace of cashless payments. Being a first mover can, indeed, be a mixed blessing.”