Singapore Report: Data Protection
in the Internet
Ee-Ing Ong
1 Introduction
In Singapore, personal data protection is governed by the Personal Data Protection
Act 2012 (“PDPA”).
1 The PDPA is administered and enforced by the Personal Data
Protection Commission (“Commission”).
2
The PDPA is the first comprehensive personal data protection legislation in
Singapore.
3 Prior to the PDPA, sector-specific statutes covered aspects of personal
data protection in a piecemeal fashion.
4 For instance, the Banking Act states that
customer information shall not be disclosed by any bank in Singapore save as
provided under such act.
5 However, the sector-specific statutes were “of limited
scope and application with regard to data protection” as their provisions “typically
penalise the unauthorised release of personal information and are not as far reaching
as the provisions of the [PDPA]”, nor do they “confer private rights of action or
direct remedies that are typically available under data protection laws”.
6
E.-I. Ong (*)
Singapore Management University School of Law, Singapore, Singapore
e-mail: eeingong@smu.edu.sg
1 No. 26 of 2012. The data protection provisions came into full effect on 2 July 2014: Personal Data
Protection Act 2012 (Commencement) Notification 2014 (S 361 of 2014).
2 PDPA s 5, 6(g).
3 Singapore Parliamentary Debates, Official Report (15 October 2012) vol 89. See also Chesterman
(2018), para 2.30.
4 Chesterman (2018), para 2.30.
5 Cap 19, 2008 Rev Ed at s 47(1).
6 Ter (2013), p. 265.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
D. Moura Vicente, S. de Vasconcelos Casimiro (eds.), Data Protection in the
Internet, Ius Comparatum – Global Studies in Comparative Law 38,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28049-9_13
309
in the Internet
Ee-Ing Ong
1 Introduction
In Singapore, personal data protection is governed by the Personal Data Protection
Act 2012 (“PDPA”).
1 The PDPA is administered and enforced by the Personal Data
Protection Commission (“Commission”).
2
The PDPA is the first comprehensive personal data protection legislation in
Singapore.
3 Prior to the PDPA, sector-specific statutes covered aspects of personal
data protection in a piecemeal fashion.
4 For instance, the Banking Act states that
customer information shall not be disclosed by any bank in Singapore save as
provided under such act.
5 However, the sector-specific statutes were “of limited
scope and application with regard to data protection” as their provisions “typically
penalise the unauthorised release of personal information and are not as far reaching
as the provisions of the [PDPA]”, nor do they “confer private rights of action or
direct remedies that are typically available under data protection laws”.
6
E.-I. Ong (*)
Singapore Management University School of Law, Singapore, Singapore
e-mail: eeingong@smu.edu.sg
1 No. 26 of 2012. The data protection provisions came into full effect on 2 July 2014: Personal Data
Protection Act 2012 (Commencement) Notification 2014 (S 361 of 2014).
2 PDPA s 5, 6(g).
3 Singapore Parliamentary Debates, Official Report (15 October 2012) vol 89. See also Chesterman
(2018), para 2.30.
4 Chesterman (2018), para 2.30.
5 Cap 19, 2008 Rev Ed at s 47(1).
6 Ter (2013), p. 265.
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020
D. Moura Vicente, S. de Vasconcelos Casimiro (eds.), Data Protection in the
Internet, Ius Comparatum – Global Studies in Comparative Law 38,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28049-9_13
309