1,155 have asked to opt out of TraceTogether programme
Some 1,155 users of national contact tracing programme TraceTogether have requested to opt out of the programme and for their data to be removed from its servers, Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan has revealed.
In a written answer to Workers' Party MP He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) on Monday, Dr Balakrishnan, who was replying on behalf of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said these users represented 0.021 per cent of the population above the age of six.
He also said that as at the end of last month, 4,923,054 individuals - or approximately 92 per cent of the population above the age of six - were on board the TraceTogether programme.
TraceTogether, which identifies people in close contact with a Covid-19 patient via a Bluetooth-enabled app or token, came under the spotlight earlier this year when it was revealed that its data could be used for criminal investigations, despite earlier assurances that it would be used solely for contact tracing.
The public backlash prompted the Government to enact legislation to restrict the use of contact tracing data, including that obtained under SafeEntry, to investigations under seven categories of serious crimes such as murder, terrorism, rape and armed robbery.
Dr Balakrishnan said that TraceTogether app users who apply to deregister will be sent an SMS confirming that their request has been received.
1,155 have asked to opt out of TraceTogether programme
Some 1,155 users of national contact tracing programme TraceTogether have requested to opt out of the programme and for their data to be removed from its servers, Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative Vivian Balakrishnan has revealed.
In a written answer to Workers' Party MP He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) on Monday, Dr Balakrishnan, who was replying on behalf of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said these users represented 0.021 per cent of the population above the age of six.
He also said that as at the end of last month, 4,923,054 individuals - or approximately 92 per cent of the population above the age of six - were on board the TraceTogether programme.
TraceTogether, which identifies people in close contact with a Covid-19 patient via a Bluetooth-enabled app or token, came under the spotlight earlier this year when it was revealed that its data could be used for criminal investigations, despite earlier assurances that it would be used solely for contact tracing.
The public backlash prompted the Government to enact legislation to restrict the use of contact tracing data, including that obtained under SafeEntry, to investigations under seven categories of serious crimes such as murder, terrorism, rape and armed robbery.
Dr Balakrishnan said that TraceTogether app users who apply to deregister will be sent an SMS confirming that their request has been received.
More at https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/1155-have-asked-to-opt-out-of-tracetogether-programme