New govt agency for victims of online harm & AI classes for students be launched under Smart Nation 2.0: PM Wong

To help Singapore seize opportunities and overcome challenges brought by technology.

By

Winnie Li

October 02, 2024, 06:32 PM

The Singapore government will set up a "dedicated agency" that will direct perpetrators and service providers to put a stop to online harm affecting victims on the victims' behalf.

This way, victims of online harm, such as sexual harassment and cyberbullying, will receive "more timely and effective relief", said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

PM Wong was speaking at the launch of Smart Nation 2.0 at Punggol Digital District on Oct. 1.

According to him, Smart Nation must be refreshed because "the digital landscape today is vastly different" from that of 2014, when then-PM Lee Hsien Loong launched Smart Nation 1.0.

PM Wong also listed the three key goals the government aims to achieve under Smart Nation 2.0, namely growth, community, and trust.

Issues with reporting process for online harm

While Singapore has enhanced its laws over the years to punish perpetrators and protect victims of online harm, PM Wong said there is "more [the government] can and will do".

He highlighted a gap between the victims' wishes, which is to remove the damaging content "quickly and permanently", and the current processes in place.

On the one hand, for victims who apply for a protection order in court or make a police report, legal and criminal proceedings "can take time".

On the other hand, those who wish to seek help from online service providers may not know how to proceed.

"We have also heard feedback that even if they do, the companies may take some time to respond, and sometimes do not even act on the reports," shared PM Wong.

New legislation to assure victims

PM Wong added that the government decided to set up a new agency after studying how other countries dealt with the problems of online harm.

Together with the agency, victims can "turn to a trusted source of support" and seek redress by submitting an application, according to a press release by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI).

At the same time, the government will also introduce new legislation to provide "stronger assurance" to the victims, said PM Wong.

For now, the government is "still working out the details" for the initiatives, and more will be shared in due course.

Other initiatives to boost trust

According to PM Wong, tackling the risks of online harm will help Singapore achieve the goal of "trust" under Smart Nation 2.0, as Singaporeans know their safety and well-being will not be compromised by using digital systems and services.

Building on this effort, the government will also introduce a new Digital Infrastructure Act in 2025 to mitigate risks posed by disruptions to digital infrastructure, such as cloud services and data centres.

Compared to the existing Cybersecurity Act, which regulates organisations and systems that Singapore relied on for digital services, the new proposed law will address "a broader set" of resilience and security risks, said MDDI.

It will also tackle issues ranging from technical misconfiguration to physical hazards, such as fire, and bolster efforts to improve the reliability of Singapore's digital infrastructure and services.

Plans to achieve growth & community

In his speech, PM Wong also laid out some initiatives that the government will be rolling out to achieve the other two goals of Smart Nation 2.0, namely growth and community.

One example is the "Artificial Intelligence (AI) for Fun" modules, which will be offered at all primary and secondary schools in Singapore starting in 2025.

According to MDDI, these five- to 10-hour modules will offer students "additional opportunities to tinker with AI technology", such as by training smart robots to respond to external signals.

Another example is a new code of practice for mobile app stores requiring app distribution services to have age assurance measures "to protect children from downloading inappropriate apps".

By reducing the risks posed by technology, this code of practice, which is currently being developed by the government, will help achieve the goal of "community" under Smart Nation 2.0, according to PM Wong.