Minister of State: SPF Can Obtain TraceTogether Data for Criminal Investigations

Previously, it was announced that TraceTogether data, that is older than 25 days, will automatically be deleted.

This is because all public-sector data protection rules apply to the data held by MOH.

As such, the ministry is required to purge data when it is no longer required for contact tracing.

You can watch this video on more details about TraceTogether (and please subscribe to our YouTube channel for more informative videos!):

But here’s the thing. Is TraceTogether data really as ‘safe’ as they claim it to be?

Well, there might be a curveball on its way now.

Minister of State: SPF Can Obtain TraceTogether Data for Criminal Investigations

According to Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) will be able to extract TraceTogether data for criminal investigations.

This is due to the Criminal Procedure Code, which enables the SPF to obtain any data.

He added that even so, however, the government has taken the appropriate measures to ensure reasonable safety of the data.

“The Government is the custodian of the TT (TraceTogether) data submitted by the individuals and stringent measures are put in place to safeguard this personal data,” said Mr Tan in today’s (4 Jan 2020) Parliament sesson.

“Examples of these measures include only allowing authorised officers to access the data, using such data only for authorised purposes and storing the data on a secured data platform.”

There will also be harsh penalties facing those who may misuse the data.

According to the Minister, the Public Sector (Governance) Act decrees that public officers who rashly or deliberately disclose the data without authorisation may face a fine of up to $5,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both.

At this point, you may find yourself wondering: Even with precautionary measures in place, wouldn’t the obtainment of data qualify as a violation of the TraceTogether privacy statement?

Workers’ Party MP Gerald Giam was certainly curious about that, but Mr Tan had an answer.

According to the Minister, the TraceTogether data will only be used in situations where “citizens’ safety and security is or has been affected”.

Apart from that, the data will only be used for what it was originally intended for.

“We do not preclude the use of TraceTogether data in circumstances where citizens’ safety and security is or has been affected, and this applies to all other data as well,” said Mr Tan.

“Authorised police officers may invoke then the Criminal Procedure Code … powers to obtain this data for purpose of criminal investigation, and for the purpose of the safety and security of our citizens, but otherwise TraceTogether data is indeed to be used only for contact tracing and for the purpose of fighting the COVID situation.”

TraceTogether

Lest you’ve forgotten, the TraceTogether app and token work by exchanging short-distance Bluetooth signals between devices – to detect other users who are in close proximity.

Incidentally, at least 70% of the local population are currently using either the TraceTogether app or token.

This paves the way for the removal of the SafeEntry system, as the government seeks to institute TraceTogether verification at all public places in the future.

The date’s tentatively set somewhere around early 2021, after everyone has had a chance to collect a token at a Community Club or Centre in their constituency.

Featured Image: Ascannio / Shutterstock.com