Tin Pei Ling on building an inclusive and safe digital society

A safe online environment is a cornerstone of building trust in a digital society, which in turn contributes to the nation’s success and cohesion, said MP Tin Pei Ling. In a motion by her Government Parliamentary Committee calling for an inclusive and safe digital society, she said Singapore must confront the challenges that could erode trust in institutions and individuals. Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday (Jan 10), she outlined the calls to action for a whole-of-nation approach to make the online space safer and more inclusive for all Singaporeans. In her call for action, she said the Government must firstly take the lead to set up information-sharing mechanisms with industry. This can be modelled after Stop Scams UK, which allows industry players to share intelligence and collaborate on scam-related initiatives. Ms Tin said Singapore needs a stronger framework for public and private players to share information on scams to enable faster detection and intervention. Secondly, the Government should further integrate expertise and prioritise resources to regulate and enforce online safety. Thirdly, device manufacturers and digital service providers should strengthen safeguards against malware and ensure that their offerings are safe by design and default. They should be proactive in informing consumers of vulnerabilities detected and in strengthening the safeguards against malware. Fourthly, banks and e-commerce platforms, which have powerful tech capabilities, should adopt stronger authentication solutions. It is their responsibility to keep customers' accounts secure and adopt phishing-resistant authentication. Fifthly, everyone can play a part in making Singapore's digital society safe, gracious and inclusive. “If we desire safety, inclusiveness, kindness and respect in the real world, we should also aspire to create the same online,” said Ms Tin. She said if everyone is willing to take on a larger share of the responsibility, they can protect more people and reduce the harm. “To sustain trust and build an inclusive, safe digital society in Singapore cannot be the sole responsibility of a single Government, entity or individual. As Singapore continues to advance towards a digital society, public and private stakeholders must collaborate as a whole-of-nation to manage the risks, address the challenges and help each other thrive in the digital future,” she said.