Singaporean minister touts internet 'kill switch' that finds kids reading net nasties and cuts 'em off ASAP

2021-10-27 05:15

A Minister in the Singapore government has suggested the creation of an internet kill switch that would prevent minors from reading questionable material online - perhaps using ratings of content created in real time by crowdsourced contributors.

"The post-COVID world will bring new challenges globally, including to us in the security arena," said Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen at a Tuesday ceremony to award the city-state's 2021 Defense Technology Prize.

The Minister envisioned "a warning alarm or kill switch" that would be invoked when minors are detected reading dodgy content.

"So you read about the recent example. Someone radicalised on the net, bought weapons on the net, all by himself," the Minister explained.

The Minister rated the chances of such a kill switch being built as low.

The Act gives the Minister for Home Affairs the authority to investigate individuals suspected of being foreign agents engaged in "Hostile information campaigns".

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