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350 people asked for removal of their TraceTogether data in past month, while 390,000 came onboard: Balakrishnan

SINGAPORE — Some 350 people have asked for their TraceTogether contact-tracing data to be deleted in the past month, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 2).

The TraceTogether system allows users to ask for their identification data to be deleted from the Government’s server, provided they are not confirmed Covid-19 cases.

The TraceTogether system allows users to ask for their identification data to be deleted from the Government’s server, provided they are not confirmed Covid-19 cases.

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SINGAPORE — Some 350 people have asked for their TraceTogether contact-tracing data to be deleted in the past month, Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan told Parliament on Tuesday (Feb 2).

Over the same period though, more than 390,000 people have come on board the system.

Dr Balakrishnan, who is also Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, said: “Every one of the 350… is a source of regret for me because at least 350 have, for a variety of reasons, decided to forego the protection that TraceTogether offers them and their loved ones.”

He was speaking during the debate on the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) (Amendment) Bill.

The Bill, which was later passed, spells out the circumstances under which data from TraceTogether and the SafeEntry check-in system may be used for police investigations into serious offences.

Mr Desmond Tan, Minister of State for Home Affairs, had clarified in Parliament last month that under the Criminal Procedure Code, TraceTogether data can be used to investigate crimes.

This caused a public outcry as Dr Balakrishnan had previously said that such data would be used only for contact tracing.

Dr Balakrishnan had earlier on Tuesday said that the Government had made an error in not stating that data from the TraceTogether contact-tracing system is not exempt from the Criminal Procedure Code, adding that he takes full responsibility for this mistake.

The TraceTogether system allows users to ask for their identification data to be deleted from the Government’s server, provided they are not confirmed Covid-19 cases.

During the debate on the Bill, which lasted more than four hours, several Members of Parliament (MPs), including Nominated Member of Parliament Leong Mun Wai and Mr Louis Ng, MP for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency, had noted that the debate over TraceTogether in the last month may have affected its adoption and usage rate, compromising the Government’s contact-tracing efforts.

Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh said that the authorities need to compare the likely cost to the fight against Covid-19 against the possible benefit of using TraceTogether to fight crime.

Privacy is more likely to matter, he said, given that a report by the Institute of Policy Studies in May last year found that only 49 per cent of people here agreed to having smart phone data tracked without their consent.

He also said a few people have anecdotally shared online that they will use the TraceTogether mobile application to gain entry to a place, but then will turn off Bluetooth immediately after entering.

It is open to question whether the efficacy of contact tracing could be compromised due to the Government’s belated explanation on the use of its data for investigative purposes, Mr Singh added.

Noting that the TraceTogether take-up rate in January was a sign that the public still has faith in the system, Dr Balakrishnan said: “I don't want to belabour this but my simple conclusion or inference is that Singaporeans know that I misspoke, but they also trust that the TraceTogether system is safe.

“It does what it is supposed to do, it protects public health, and they trust the police to always behave lawfully.”

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contact tracing TraceTogether Parliament Vivian Balakrishnan

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