It has been eight years since the enactment of Singapore's comprehensive data protection law, the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (PDPA).
On May 14, 2020, a public consultation paper and accompanying Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill (Amendment Bill) were published, to solicit feedback on several proposed revisions to the PDPA.
The proposed changes are significant. Key amendments include:
- Increased financial penalties for contraventions of the PDPA
- Mandatory data breach notification
- Revised consent framework
- New data portability obligation
- Enhanced rules on telemarketing and spam
The consultation closed on May 28, 2020, with 70 responses received from organizations and 17 from individuals.
The changes proposed in this review of the PDPA are driven by a need to align Singapore's existing data protection law with global regulatory developments and to ensure Singapore keeps pace with the evolving technological and business landscape whilst providing for effective protection of personal data in the digital economy.
Our recent client alert can help you navigate the requirements to comply with the new law, and to address risks of incurring a hefty fine.
Reed Smith LLP is licensed to operate as a foreign law practice in Singapore under the name and style, Reed Smith Pte Ltd (hereafter collectively, “Reed Smith”). Where advice on Singapore law is required, we will refer the matter to and work with Reed Smith's Formal Law Alliance partner in Singapore, Resource Law LLC, where necessary.
Originally published by Reed Smith, July 2020
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