While the fracas between US and TikTok is unlikely to have any repercussions for Singapore, the crux of the issue - a fight over data - matters to all of us, say the Institute of Policy Studies’ Carol Soon, Chew Han Ei and Ann Mak.
The technological tussle between US and China reflects a broader global trend: Increasingly, countries are implementing unilateral policies and initiatives to regulate the internet and digital sphere. unless its China -based owner ByteDance divests from the social media platform. This move stemmed from fears that China could compel the platform to hand over the personal data of its 170 million American users to the Chinese government under its National Intelligence Law.
According to a report published by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, 62 countries have implemented regulations to confine data within their borders as of 2021, nearly double that from 35 countries in 2017. Cross border data flows are also essential for customer service delivered round-the-clock and from distant parts of the world.
For instance, it introduced the Personal Data Protection Act in 2012, which established a baseline standard of protection that all organisations that collect, use or disclose personal data within Singapore must abide by. So what more should the government do? To facilitate the seamless yet secure flow of data across borders, a risk-based classification framework is the practical next step.
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