When Singapore rolled out TraceTogether, a smartphone app and physical token that uses Bluetooth technology for contact tracing, assurances were given at the highest official levels that personal data collected would be used solely to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.
Harish Pillay, a software engineer and transparent technology advocate, was an early supporter of the government-developed app who emailed the minister in charge of the initiative last March to volunteer his services and request that the program’s source code be shared “to ensure that [the app] does what it claims to do.”
Vivian Balakrishnan, the minister in charge of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative, accepted Pillay’s offer and released the source code, allowing developers from around the world to pick apart a technology that has become vital to the city-state’s successful coronavirus containment strategy.
“There was trust asked for at the start of the program,” said Pillay, who joined the TraceTogether campaign and publicly endorsed its use. “Many people, like me, felt that it was clear and transparent and [were] supportive. I was happily stating that I feel confident and comfortable with the safeguards.” Now, Pillay says he feels like he was let down.
Read the full story at Asia Times.
Nile Bowie is a journalist and correspondent with the Asia Times covering current affairs in Singapore and Malaysia. He can be reached at nilebowie@gmail.com.
