Speech by MOS Rahayu Mahzam at G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting in Brazil

MOS RAHAYU MAHZAM’S INTERVENTIONS AT G20 DIGITAL ECONOMY MINISTERIAL MEETING IN MACEIÓ, BRAZIL (13 SEP 2024)

Priority Issue 1: Digital Inclusion, Universal and Meaningful Connectivity

Priority Issue 2: Digital Government: Building a Trustworthy and Inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure

Distinguished Chair

Excellencies

Good morning. I would like to express Singapore’s appreciation to the Brazilian Presidency for hosting the G20 Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting and for the warm hospitality. Thank you for inviting Singapore to participate in these important discussions. I join colleagues and friends here in Maceió in also expressing appreciation to the Chair for the excellent leadership of the G20 Digital Economy discussions throughout the year.

On priority issue 1, we welcome the Presidency’s contribution to Digital Inclusion, Universal and Meaningful Connectivity. In particular, Singapore strongly believes that it is not just about providing people with hardware, but also the skills to meaningfully participate online, and do so safely and respectfully. In Singapore, we had already begun some early work in measuring access and skills in our Singapore Digital Society Report. This report tracks the state of digital society in Singapore and recommends ways to build an inclusive digital society. We look forward to more cooperation with the international community to develop indicators that can help us sharpen our efforts in ensuring digital inclusion.

That said, government efforts alone will only go so far in ensuring digital inclusion and online safety. It is crucial to work with stakeholders to close the digital divide and promote safe, positive digital spaces. We commend the Brazilian Presidency for working with not only G20 countries and guests but also other stakeholders so that we can work as an ecosystem to advance our common vision on this front.

I am also pleased that there has been progress on priority issue 2 on Digital Government and Inclusive Digital Public Infrastructure. More of our lives are moving online, and providing digital services online has also been a game-changer in enabling access – especially to underserved and hard-to-reach groups, such as communities in rural areas or persons with mobility challenges. To this end, our important work and discussions this year on open, inclusive and interoperable Digital Public Infrastructure adds to a global effort around helping countries large and small provide such services to their citizens.

A crucial part of Digital Public Infrastructure is digital identity. More than 97% of Singapore citizens and Permanent Residents aged 15 and above have a digital identity and transact with over 800 Government agencies and private sector organisations across more than 2,700 services. Over the years, we have learned many lessons in rolling out digital identity, whether in terms of technical or security innovations, or inclusivity where we accommodate Singapore’s four official languages. We believe that sharing such experiences is useful as we all learn from each other in our digital transformation journeys. We therefore welcome the Presidency’s effort to develop general principles on the governance of digital identity, which can be a useful best practice and standard for the international community.

Thank you.

Priority Issue 3: Integrity of Information Online and Trust in the Digital Economy

Priority Issue 4: AI for Inclusive Sustainable Development and Inequalities Reduction

Thank you Chair.

Priority issue 3 on Integrity of Information Online and Trust in the Digital Economy is a key concern to all countries, especially as digital technologies are seamlessly integrated into our daily lives. The online space, while full of opportunities, also comes with risks such as misinformation, disinformation and scams. Technology and regulations can help us mitigate some of these risks, but every individual must play their part in protecting themselves. Government, industry and civil society must collaborate to promote digital literacy, build cyber resilience and foster trust in the mobile digital ecosystems. We commend the Brazilian Presidency for highlighting this as a priority issue.

To combat misinformation and disinformation, Singapore has introduced a suite of targeted legislative levers, including the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act and the Foreign Interference Countermeasures Act. These provide the Government with the ability to swiftly address misinformation, disinformation, and hostile information campaigns that threaten to erode trust in our society, including trust in our institutions and elections. We are committed to continue building the necessary technological capabilities to respond to the evolving threat of misinformation and disinformation. To address these issues and other online harms, we established the Centre for Advanced Technologies in Online Safety this year. The Centre will allow us to develop tools to build a safer online ecosystem.

A secure, stable, trusted, open and interoperable cyberspace is crucial to reap the benefits of the digital economy. Beyond regulation, public-private partnerships are necessary to fostering trust in the digital economy. We need continued conversations with tech companies to encourage them to do more to strengthen their cybersecurity posture and ensure that their features are not exploited. The Singapore Government also prioritises media literacy and public education. These empower individuals to critically evaluate information and protect themselves against falsehoods, including through fostering good cyber hygiene habits.

AI-generated misinformation and deepfakes, especially in the context of elections, is a growing shared concern. Like other countries, Singapore is looking at ways to further protect ourselves against AI-generated misinformation and deepfakes during critical periods like our elections. Early this week, we tabled the Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) Bill which proposes to prohibit deepfakes and other digitally generated or manipulated online depictions of electoral candidates, shown saying or doing something that they did not say or do during the election period. This measure underscores the Singapore Government’s commitment to foster a safe information space, both during and outside of elections.

Singapore welcomes priority issue 4 on AI for Inclusive Sustainable Development and Inequalities Reduction. Singapore believes in the transformative power of AI and that AI can be used for the public good, for Singapore and the world. Guided by this vision, we released our updated National AI Strategy last December. The updated strategy involves active participation in AI research and deployment, and scaling up AI for compelling use cases in areas like advanced manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, education and public services. The public service of Singapore has also embraced AI. Large learning models and our own secure version of ChatGPT are used by public officers to improve productivity. Inclusivity is a key aspect of our National AI Strategy. AI technologies must be developed and deployed in a way that benefits everyone including small states. In 2022, we launched the Digital Forum of Small States aimed at providing a space for small states to exchange ideas on our digital transformation journeys, and forge a common digital future, including on AI governance.

We thank the Brazilian Presidency for the opportunity to share Singapore’s experience and to learn from others in this G20 Digital Economy track. Such exchanges allow us to learn from each other, and foster collaboration. As we approach the end of this Session, may I also add my congratulations on the very successful Digital Economy Ministers’ Meeting.

Thank you.