Security News > 2021 > January > Singapore Admits Police Can Access Contact-Tracing Data
Singapore has admitted data collected for contact-tracing can be accessed by police despite earlier assurances it would only be used to fight the coronavirus, sparking privacy concerns Tuesday about the scheme.
A senior official admitted in parliament that police could "Obtain any data" - including information gathered through the contact-tracing programme - in the course of a criminal investigation.
Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishan said later that, to his knowledge, police had so far only accessed contact-tracing data on one occasion, during a murder probe.
Human Rights Watch accused the government, which is regularly criticised for curtailing civil liberties, of "Undermining the right to privacy".
Speaking in parliament Tuesday, Balakrishan said the government was just being open when it made the admission.
Many countries have rolled out contact-tracing programmes that work via a smartphone app, but take-up has been low in some due to privacy concerns.