Singapore NRIC saga, apology timing raise questions over communication gaps
The incident has exposed the lack of communication between government agencies and caused confusion in the public, analysts say
A saga surrounding the publication of personal identification numbers in Singapore has raised questions over government communication internally and to the public.
The issue gained prominence on December 12 after former journalist Bertha Henson posted on Facebook that identification card numbers of some people could be accessed for free online without signing in through a search function under a revamped business portal, operated by the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA).
A day later the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) explained it intended to change the existing practice of masking identification numbers – or National Registration Identity Card (NRIC), colloquially called “IC” – only after educating the public that it was safe, and ACRA had “run ahead of the government’s intent”.
MDDI added that NRIC numbers were assumed to be known, just as names were known and there should not be any sensitivity in having one’s full NRIC number made public.
However, one week after Henson’s first post, two cabinet ministers held a press conference and apologised, revealing that an internal misunderstanding led to the NRIC numbers being found on the business portal and that the government did not intend to fully unmask the data.
Tracy Loh, a senior lecturer of communication management at the Singapore Management University, said moving away from masked NRICs was a fundamental change which needed to be coordinated well among the various government agencies. The incident exposed a possible lack of coordination and communication between the agencies.
