Yip Hon Weng on building an inclusive and safe digital society

In a digital world, promised convenience can easily morph into potential peril, especially for senior citizens, causing some to retreat entirely. Malicious actors may also prey on seniors’ vulnerabilities, with the rise of deepfakes adding to the danger. Making these points in Parliament on Wednesday (Jan 10), MP Yip Hon Weng asked if the Government could consider setting up a centralised agency to provide support networks and helplines for the elderly to seek assistance with digital issues and report scams. He called for law enforcement agencies to actively crack down on criminals who target seniors and provide timely updates to victims. Larger players, from telcos to banks to app developers, must also share more responsibility and invest in robust security measures, he said. Mr Yip asked how Singapore measures up against other countries in fighting scams and whether it can learn from best practices abroad. He cited China as a place where digital transactions are prevalent even among the elderly.