Family and Education Section of Personal Profile in Singpass
Prime Minister's OfficeSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the inclusion of family and education details in Singpass profiles, specifically why spouses, parents, and highest qualifications are currently omitted. Ms Joan Pereira questioned these exclusions, noting their utility for emergency verification and for accurately reflecting academic achievements. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean explained that adult family details are excluded due to privacy sensitivities and consent issues, such as relations being estranged. He stated that while GCE level results are currently digitalised and displayed, records from local polytechnics and universities are being progressively digitalised for inclusion. The government will add more data to profiles based on demand, the availability of accurate digital records, and the resolution of privacy concerns.
Transcript
1 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Prime Minister with regard to one’s personal profile in SingPass, what are the reasons for (i) the inclusion of only children but not spouses or parents under the Family section, as details of spouses or parents can also be used to prove family relationships in emergencies and (ii) reflecting only the details of GCE "O" and "A" Level results under the Education section but not the highest level of formal education achievement.
Mr Teo Chee Hean (for the Prime Minister): The Singpass profile allows users to view their personal information and provides a trusted digital identity for secure transactions. We will add data to the user profile if there is demand for such data fields, where such data has accurate and complete digitalised records and where there are fewer concerns over data privacy.
We have not yet included details of spouses or parents, given the potential sensitivities. When displaying the personal information of another adult, it is typical for consent to be sought. Automatic inclusion of such information presumes consent, even if relations are estranged. There could also be changes in personal details, for example, name change, that individuals prefer to keep private. Such considerations would have to be addressed first.
As for digital education records, more will be included in the Singpass profile as they become available. At the time of the current implementation, the national General Certificate of Education Ordinary “O”, Normal “N” and Advanced “A” Level records have been digitalised. We are looking into how the records from our local Polytechnics and Universities can also be progressively digitalised.