Dear privacy pros,

I hope most of you managed to attend the events that took place during Singapore’s Personal Data Protection Week last month.

The week started off with the IAPP Asia Privacy Forum 2022, which was held over two days, from 18-19 July. We had a stellar turnout of both speakers and attendees, with many participants traveling into Singapore not only from around the region, but also further afield from Africa, Europe and North America. Special mention must also be made for some of the delegates from the Asia-Pacific region, who attended the conference despite the prospect of a mandatory quarantine period upon returning home.

It was well worth the journey, as delegates had the opportunity to hear perspectives from the data protection authorities in Hong Kong, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea, as well as gain valuable insights from thought leaders in the private sector and academia. The networking and exchanges on the sideline of the event also undoubtedly added much value on top of the formal sessions.

During the cocktail reception graciously organized by the Future of Privacy Forum, many of us bade a fond farewell (for now) to our dear friend Clarisse Girot, the outgoing APAC Managing Director of FPF. Girot will be starting a new role as the head of the Data Governance and Privacy Unit at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development soon, and we wish her all the best. Although, it would also be nice if she decided to return to Singapore at some point in the future, when we will get another chance to school her in the art of eating durian.

During the Personal Data Protection Commission’s annual PDP Seminar 20 July, we got an opportunity to hear from Josephine Teo, minister for communications and information, as she espoused three key principles that will continue to guide the PDPC in managing the twin goals of ensuring adequate safeguards for the protection of the consumer’s personal data and entrenching Singapore’s position as a trusted data hub. The three principles of strengthening accountability, enhancing accessibility and building partnerships with the industry is showcased and embedded in recent initiatives from the PDPC, including the world’s first artificial intelligence governance testing framework and toolkit (AI Verify) and a sandbox for piloting privacy-enhancing technologies (PETs) that was announced during the PDP Seminar.

The week was bookended by practical workshops and informative sessions co-organized by the PDPC and various think tanks and other organizations. It is wonderful to see the PDPC’s relentless efforts at fostering partnerships and building up a robust privacy ecosystem in Singapore bearing fruit.

On our end, the IAPP will continue to support this effort by collaborating closely with the PDPC and fulfilling the training and certification needs of privacy professionals in the region, as well as building more platforms where privacy pros can come together to share knowledge and best practices. One such recent event was a KnowledgeNet and networking session that took place 25 July.

If you missed that, please note that we have another upcoming KnowledgeNet on privacy-preserving technologies that is co-organized with the Singapore chapter of Information Systems Audit and Control Association. This event takes a hybrid format, and you can choose to attend in-person or virtually. Please make sure that you register for this soon!

Until next time, stay safe and be kind to one another.

Kind regards,
See Khiang