Singapore closes civil servants’ workplaces from the internet

Singapore officials will no longer be able to access the internet from May 2017. The government is said to have made this decision to prevent the leakage of documents and emails. There would also be special ‘internetwork places’.

A spokesperson for the government agency that is making the policy change told the BBC that “the Singapore government regularly reviews security to better protect networks.” He adds that the new policy is already taking effect with a small group of civil servants. In 2017, the measure must apply to all 100,000 workplaces.

The Straits Times previously reported that officials are still allowed to access the internet with their own devices, such as smartphones and tablets. They should also be allowed to forward e-mail to personal accounts. However, the spokesperson told the BBC that this is not correct and that forwarding work-related emails is also prohibited. Only forwarding non-work-related e-mail is allowed, the spokesperson clarified.

It could not confirm whether a recent data breach is the reason for the decision. In Singapore there are voices that the policy goes against the Smart Nation initiative, with which the government wants, among other things, to improve public services and share information with citizens.