The Government of the Republic of Singapore proposes that wearable devices be adopted for use by the general population in near-future efforts to reliably achieve contact tracing of persons that have recently come into contact with a Covid-19 infected person.
Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation initiative, Vivian Balakrishnan, announced the proposal on June 5. He cited poor inter-operability of the existing Trace Together smartphone app across various brands of smartphones as well as the Government's subsequent non-compulsory usage stance as reasons for developing a wearable device.
Such a device, if proven to be successful in trials - and subsequently made available to everyone - would allow contact tracers to locate a person's whereabouts based on their proximity to other persons' phones, cell towers, or potentially their wearable devices themselves.
This will be done regardless of whether the person has a phone or not; regardless whether their phone is switched off or on; whether that person is within reception of a cell tower or not; and regardless whether their phone has wifi or Bluetooth switched off or on.
The only thing that stops this device from potentially being allowed to track citizens' movements 24/7 are: if the wearable device runs out of power; if a counter-measure device that broadcasts a jamming signal masking the device's whereabouts; or if the person chooses to live 'off the grid' in total isolation, away from others and outside of any smartphone/device effective range.
All that is stopping the Singapore Government from becoming a surveillance state is the advent and mandating the compulsory usage of such a wearable device. What comes next would be laws that state these devices must not be turned off/remain on a person at all times - thus sealing our fate as a police state.
Thus, we reject the development of this contact tracing device. We view its advent and subsequent implementation with great suspicion and indignation. The claims that such a device be implemented 'for the greater good' and for 'the safety and protection of all Singaporeans' are false and baseless. According to media reports, the non-successful adoption of the Trace Together app can be superseded by the next step that state-sanctioned technological advancements can offer: and this is it.
The Government looks to the Covid-19 pandemic as the perfect excuse to realise what it has always envisioned for us - this country's populace: to surveil us with impunity, to track us without any technological inhibitions, and maintain a form of movement monitoring on each of us at all times and places. And to do so by decreeing it compulsory for all law-abiding persons to become 'recipients'.
We - as free, independent, and lawful members of the public of Singapore - condemn the device's implementation as blatant infringements upon our rights to privacy, personal space, and freedom of movement. We reject the notion that the non-efficacy of the Trace Together initiative be superseded by a regime that could potentially require all members of the public (regardless of their age, susceptibility to disease, or health status) to give up these rights under fear - not of infection from Covid-19 - but of prosecution by the state.
Don't worry, an EDMWer has figured out a way to bypass this Trace Together nonsense!
https://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/eat-drink-man-woman-16/lifehack-avoid-participating-mandatory-tracetogether-program-6396202.html
This Lemon_Tea bugger must be itching for a cup of lemon tea at the Police Cantonment Complex.
Singaporeans tampering with new COVID tracking tokens amid hate, ridicule
Singapore’s COVID-19 soon-to-be compulsory tracking devices are getting a lot of hate from residents, some of whom have resorted to tampering with them.
TraceTogether tokens are being wrapped in aluminium foil or emptied of batteries amid conspiracy theories spreading that such methods can prevent the government from tracking the device’s whereabouts.
A discussion under the thread Lifehack: to avoid participating mandatory TraceTogether Program that went up on the HardwareZone forum today shared steps on how to disable the token by spoofing its identifying QR code.
“1) Go to the cc to collect the physical token and register yourself with the fixed QR code. 2) Remove the battery cover and remove the battery 3) Use glue to glue the battery cover back 4) Scan your token QR code when entering designated area Bonus) Go Google for photo of TT Token with it’s QR code. Print a sticker of that QR code and stick it onto your token to use,” it said.
TraceTogether developer Smart Nation and Digital Government Group responded today that tampering with the device is a violation of the Computer Misuse Act, which has a maximum penalty of a S$50,000 fine and seven years in jail.
“The TraceTogether and SafeEntry design is so [flawed] that is susceptible to spoofing. Before shoving [shit] down others throat, GovTech need to probably rethink the design of this SafeEntry thingy before forcing it down other’s throat,” the forum post added.
The vast majority of Singaporeans, or 70% of the population, is expected to either use the pocket-sized hardware token or the government-developed TraceTogether app, before the COVID-19 task force will further relax virus containment measures.
TraceTogether replaces the usual scanning of identifications cards and SafeEntry QR codes at venues such as shopping malls and cinemas, where it was made compulsory as of yesterday.
But several have been trying to hack the device or gone online to mock it, with some calling it ugly and bulky.
“This one seems like a explosive device. I can’t believe [Singapore] is so outdated in using a piece of hardware like this,” Eugene Ang said.
“I refused to collect it caused it looks like a dog tag. Too many [accessories] to carry around nowadays,” Rebecca Loh said.
Facebook user Angela Tan strayed into tinfoil hat territory to assert the tokens could lead to government sticking microchips into everyone.
“Very soon they will embed microchips as more and more are comfortable with sharing their personal data,” she said.
Tuieng Kok Liang, 33, who collected his token Friday, found that it only worked at certain places like shopping malls but not the stores inside.
“Trace together token is good. [It] is only convenient when we enter shopping malls as there are scanner[s] to scan the trace together token. The negative part is when we enter those shops in shopping mall[s], the shops do not have the scanner to scan as they only [ask] customers to perform the scans themselves,” the aircraft technician told Coconuts today.
Liang was also refused entry to a MacDonald’s outlet in Simei which did not have a scanner and relied on customers scanning the Safe Entry QR codes themselves with their phones.
“I went to MacDonalds at [S]imei Station, I showed the guy my TraceTogether token, he promptly refuse[d] to let me enter. I explained I forgot to bring along my phone as the restaurant was within walking distance for me. He still insisted that I scan the QR code,” he added.
Because of its inaccessibility in areas, he now brings both his phone and token out and switches between either to enter locations. He stopped using the app version, which was frequently “draining” the phone battery.
Since its launch in March, the Bluetooth-powered COVID tracing and alert system has concerned citizens about their privacy. It has since been refuted that the hardware uses GPS or internet connectivity.
Singapore began sending out TraceTogether tokens to more than 400,000 people last month.
https://coconuts.co/singapore/news/singaporeans-tampering-with-new-covid-tracking-tokens-amid-hate-ridicule/
Nearly 55K have signed the petition!
Just signed it myself too.
S’porean netizens: TraceTogether token is a waste of money
As the Government announced the release of the TraceTogether token that was set to begin distributing yesterday (14 September), many Singaporeans believed that this particular device is a “waste of money”.
The size and the function of the token were not what the people had expected, because it turned out to be large and bulky, and that it has a QR code on top that is required to be scanned.
Apart from wondering why would they need the token if they were already using the TraceTogether app, along with SafeEntry and SingPass, many thought that this device may pose as a waste of money.
Here is a compilation of comments made by the netizens under the new release about the TraceTogether token.
Many expressed that using their phones to scan and check-in would suffice, criticising the token to be “useless”.
Steve raised a point by noting that the people who refused to scan by using the mobile app would be unlikely to bring this token around. It implies that the token would fail to serve its purpose to encourage people to support in contact tracing for COVID-19.
Daniel questioned why the Government proceeded with the token when Apple and Google had collaborated to release an exposure notifications system for mobile phones.
https://www.onlinecitizenasia.com/2020/09/15/sporean-netizens-tracetogether-token-is-a-waste-of-money/
How the New Zealand government safeguards user privacy in its contact tracing app
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-resources-and-tools/nz-covid-tracer-app/privacy-and-security-nz-covid-tracer#deleting
How your personal information is managed
The Ministry of Health has consulted with the Privacy Commissioner to ensure NZ COVID Tracer protects your privacy.
The personal information and contact details you choose to register through NZ COVID Tracer (on the ‘register your details’ and ‘let us know where you are staying’ screens) are provided to the Ministry of Health so contact tracers can quickly get in touch if you are identified as a close contact of someone who has COVID-19.
Any further information you decide to record through NZ COVID Tracer – for example, the QR codes you scan, your manual diary entries or your NHI number - is stored securely on your phone. Digital diary entries are automatically deleted after 60 days.
The contact alert process for NZ COVID Tracer does not involve transmitting any information from your phone. If you are identified as a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19, it is your choice whether to share your digital diary with the Ministry. You are in control of your data.
Any information (excluding anonymous statistical information) you provide to the Ministry will not be shared with other government agencies except where the agency is directly involved in the public health response and sharing the information is necessary for public health purposes during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will never be used for enforcement purposes.
If any information you provide to the Ministry is added to your health record, for example if you test positive for COVID-19, it will be kept for the same duration as the rest of your health record.
The Office of the Privacy Commissioner has been consulted and is satisfied that the privacy implications (and their mitigations) for the current release of NZ COVID Tracer have been appropriately recorded in the Privacy Impact Assessment available below.
Making TraceTogether mandatory seems to contradict Vivian Balakrishnan’s pre-election assurances
A few months ago Dr Balakrishnan said “I'm going to do my best to try to push the participation rates up without having to go down the mandatory route"
The Government’s decision to make TraceTogether usage mandatory at all public venues mandatory from December has given rise to questions about whether this latest move contradicts minister Vivian Balakrishnan’s pre-election assurances that the authorities had no plans to do so.
On 5 June, Dr Balakrishnan announced in Parliament that the Government was exploring the use of wearable devices for contact tracing amid the COVID-19 pandemic and is considering rolling out the device – called the TraceTogether token – out to all Singapore residents soon.
The announcement led to widespread concerns about the invasion of privacy, the right to personal space and the freedom of movement. One online petition condemning the implementation of such plans that was created on the day Dr Balakrishnan spoke in Parliament drew a hefty 35,000 signatures in just a few days.
The backlash against the Government’s plans was so severe that Dr Balakrishnan announced just days later that the government is not planning to make it mandatory for residents in Singapore to use the TraceTogether token.
At a press conference held on 8 June, the minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Programme Office initiative said that the use of the tokens should be based on a “spirit of trust, openness, and compassion” as well as “mutual responsibility”.
He promised: “When you’re controlling a pandemic like this, there are many aspects of it you cannot legislate. You can have rules, you can pass laws, you can enforce it. The majority will comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law. And unfortunately, a minority sometimes will try to find loopholes.”
“I’m going to do my best to try to push the participation rates up without having to go down the mandatory route.”
Just a few weeks later, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called an election amid the pandemic. The PAP was returned to power, with a supermajority of 83 seats in Parliament.
It has been about three and a half months since the election and the Government has now announced that the TraceTogether system will be made mandatory at all public venues before the end of the year. Singapore residents will no longer be able to use the SafeEntry QR code system to check in to venues like workplaces, schools, restaurants, shopping malls and cinemas and will need to use the TraceTogether app or carry the wearable device, from December.
Some observers responding to news reports are asking whether the latest decision contradicts Dr Balakrishnan’s pre-election remarks.
During his press conference in June, the Minister did caution that it was still possible that circumstances may worsen to the point that the Ministry of Health may say that there is no choice but to roll the device out to all Singapore residents.
But observers have noted that the number of cases has come down drastically to the point that Singapore is considering moving on to Phase 3 of its phased re-opening plans. The situation has not deteriorated to the point where there is no choice but to make TraceTogether mandatory so why implement such plans now when the SafeEntry system is working well?
One commentator, writing for Online Citizen Asia, highlighted: “Perhaps Dr Balakrishnan will argue that the TraceTogether app is a mobile application and not a device per se. This is, however, a shallow argument — at the end of the day, it will work like a device tracking exactly where you are.”
The writer, Ghui, added: “By saying one thing and doing another thing, the Government is eroding its own credibility. By sending out one message before the general election, only to backtrack a few months after it returns to power, the Government is breaching the people’s trust in it.”
Facebook page, The Alternative View, made similar observations and pointed out that Dr Balakrishnan “struck a reconciliatory tone” in response to the backlash over the TraceTogether token before the election.
The page, which has close to 37,000 followers, shared a video of the minister’s pre-election press conference and added: “Now it seems that what Vivian Balakrishnan had said in June were just empty words designed to make him sound consultative.”
Close to 250 netizens, including Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) chairman and infectious diseases expert Dr Paul Tambyah, liked The Alternative View’s post.
https://theindependent.sg/making-tracetogether-mandatory-seems-to-contradict-vivian-balakrishnans-pre-election-assurances/
Liar liar pants on fire; after the general election the Pay And Pay party reveals its true colors liao - such is life in Sinkapore.
FUCKING CONNIVING POLITICIANS.
If PAP can be trusted dogs will fly.
German researchers say TraceTogether app does not provide adequate user privacy protection!!!!!
Who watches the watchmen I wonder......
LOL check out the latest tweet by the TraceTogether spoof account:
A little on the nose. Hope JoSexFiend Teo won't be so 小气 as to request for an apology.
In before "My service for Singapore is so boundless, it cannot be measured in dollars and cents" .