Skip to content

Discerning Data

  • About Us
  • Additional Resources
  • Contact Us

DISCERNING DATA

A Faegre Drinker Blog Covering the Latest in Privacy, Cybersecurity and Data Strategy

  • Privacy
  • Cybersecurity
  • Data Strategy
  • Disruptionware

Coming Soon to Singapore: Mandatory Data Breach Notifications

Share

Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) issued a statement on March 1 announcing its plan to introduce mandatory breach notifications as part of a set of proposed amendments to the country’s Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA). The proposed amendments come in response to the PDPC’s recent review of the PDPA in order “to ensure that it keeps pace with the evolving needs of businesses and individuals, and balances safeguarding individuals’ interests and enables the legitimate use of personal data by organisations.” The details of the mandatory breach notification have not yet been made public, but the amendment will likely require organizations to notify the PDPC and affected data subjects when a certain level of breach has occurred.

Enacted in 2012, the PDPA governs the “collection, use and disclosure of personal data by organisations in a manner that recognizes both the right of individuals to protect their personal data and the need of organisations to collect, use or disclose personal data for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.” Singapore’s public sector is governed by the Public Sector Governance Act (PSGA), not the PDPA, the PDPC states that the data protection standards in the two regulations are closely aligned. The PSGA was enacted in 2018 to establish accountability and consistency of governance of public entities in Singapore.

Several public and private entities in Singapore have been affected by high-profile data breaches in the past year, including Singapore Health Services (SingHealth), Integrated Health Information Systems (IHIS), Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority, Bud Cosmetics, and AIA Singapore. Financial penalties stemming from cyber breaches in Singapore have varied depending on the severity of the breach and number of data subjects affected. In January 2019, the PDPC fined SingHealth and IHIS $250,000 and $750,000 respectively for what the PDPC called the “worst breach of personal data in Singapore’s history.” That breach resulted in the disclosure of personal data for 1.5 million patients and of outpatient prescription records of approximately 160,000 patients.

The mandatory breach notification and other proposed amendments to the PDPA are expected to be made available to the public in early 2020.

The material contained in this communication is informational, general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. The material contained in this communication should not be relied upon or used without consulting a lawyer to consider your specific circumstances. This communication was published on the date specified and may not include any changes in the topics, laws, rules or regulations covered. Receipt of this communication does not establish an attorney-client relationship. In some jurisdictions, this communication may be considered attorney advertising.

Receive Email Alerts to New Articles

SUBSCRIBE

March 27, 2019
Written by: Discerning Data Editorial Board
Category: Cybersecurity, International
Tags: data breach, Data Protection, data security, International, personal data

Post navigation

Previous Previous post: The FTC’s Approach to Consumer Privacy
Next Next post: U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Hear Zappos Data Breach Case

Search the Blog

Sign Up for Email Alerts

PODCASTS

Faegre Drinker on Law and Technology

©2023 Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP. All Rights Reserved. Lawyer Advertising.

  • About Us
  • Additional Resources
  • Contact Us
We use cookies to improve your experience with our website. By browsing our site, you are agreeing to the use of cookies. For more information about how we use cookies, please review our privacy policy and cookie policy. OK
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT