NRIC numbers remain personal data, should not be widely circ...

SINGAPORE - NRIC numbers remain a form of personal data and should only be collected and used when necessary, said Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo in Parliament on Jan 8. Organisations that collect NRIC numbers still have a duty of care and must notify and seek consent on the use of the data and protect the data, she said in a ministerial statement to answer at least 50 questions from MPs over the recent widescale exposure of NRIC numbers. "These are existing guidelines that will not change," she added. The Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) had caused a storm among the public after launching its new Bizfile portal on Dec 9 that allowed the full NRIC numbers of registered people on its database to be retrievable for free via its search function by mistake. The feature was taken down on Dec 13 in the light of public backlash. Mrs Teo ackno...