ASEAN DIGITAL MINISTERS’ MEETING, 9 FEBRUARY 2023 INTERVENTIONS
Singapore’s intervention for Agenda Item 5: Exchange of views on development
in the digital sector
Distinguished Chair Excellencies
1 Good afternoon. I thank the Philippines Chair for hosting the ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting and would like to join colleagues and friends here in Boracay Island in expressing appreciation to the Philippines Chair for the excellent leadership of the ASEAN Digital Senior Officials meeting this week.
2 The digital landscape has become increasingly complex, and there is no single playbook or blueprint that can provide all the answers to governments on what we can do to achieve a sustainable digital future.
But our experience suggests that we should be guided by the fundamental principle of building trust – both in terms of building up our citizens’ trust in digital technologies, as well as ensuring that we preserve and maintain trust within our society in the face of technological disruption and other risks like online harms and disinformation.
3 I would like to share three examples of how Singapore seeks to build trust and ensure a sustainable digital future, as we harness digitalisation as a catalyst for growth:
4 First, to encourage data sharing and innovation, and to strengthen trust in the use of data driven technologies like AI, and in assuring stakeholders that their data is being handled carefully and responsibly. We published the Model AI Governance Framework in 2019 to guide industry in implementing trustworthy AI. Last year, we launched AI Verify, Singapore’s AI Governance Testing Framework and Toolkit, which organisations can
use to self-assess their AI systems and generate reports on areas such as transparency and accountability. This will allow them to demonstrate the claims made about the performance of their AI systems and build trust with their stakeholders. There is potential for us to bring all our respective AI governance efforts together to develop an ASEAN approach to encouraging trustworthy AI.
5 Second, we work to enhance protection for Singaporeans going online.
One key area of work is on combatting online scams, which present a significant challenge as the scam archetypes evolve rapidly and are cross- border in nature. Singapore has put in place a whole-of-government, multi- layered defence to tackle scams, including at our telco and network level.
For example, in 2022, we implemented the pre-emptive blocking of suspected international scam calls. We have also just implemented the SMS Sender ID Registry that requires organisations to register the message headers used when sending text messages to their customers, limiting the ability of scammers to impersonate a brand or an entity.
6 Beyond our own domestic measures, we need closer regional and international collaboration to tackle this transnational challenge.
Singapore agrees with Malaysia and Thailand that it is timely and imperative to work with our partners in ASEAN on regional efforts to tackle scams, for example, through exchange of information on best practices, cooperation in alerting each other on new scam archetypes, and developing guidelines on safer telecommunication measures on combating scams.
7 Third, we strive to build trust within our society by ensuring that every Singaporean can enjoy the benefits brought about by technology. We want to help every citizen to be digitally ready, especially those from vulnerable segments of our society. For example, we established the SG Digital Office, which is aimed at equipping less digitally savvy citizens with basic digital skills and tools to embrace digitalisation. The Singapore government also actively invests in nurturing a digitally skilled workforce so that they can access emerging opportunities in the digital economy. This is done through both pre-employment training; whereby we build industry relevant
skills through internships and work-study opportunities in the tech sector;
as well as continuing education training, where we work with industry partners to support mid-career workers transition into tech roles.
8 Singapore looks forward to working with ASEAN Member States in building a sustainable digital future that is open, inclusive, and secure for our ASEAN community.
9 Thank you.
