MDDI's response to PQ on Government's Decision to Stop Practice of Partially Masking NRIC Numbers

Parliament Sitting on 7 January 2025

QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

39. Dr Tan Wu Meng asked the Minister for Digital Development and Information (a) what is the rationale for the Government's intention to stop the practice of partially masking NRIC numbers and why at the present time; and (b) whether the era of artificial intelligence and machine learning has accelerated the likelihood of organisations reverse engineering significant portions of the NRIC database through scraping and collating existing personal data collections, including lucky draw registrants and customer lists from the pre-PDPA era.

Answer:

This Parliamentary Question will be addressed through a statement by the Minister for Digital Development and Information during the Parliament Sitting on 8 January 2025.