You may feel disconcerted after realising that someone has taken a photo of you in public and has published it without your consent. What you should do is: Keep the publication in which your photo appeared, if the photo was published in a physical medium like a magazine, leaflet or…
Category: Internet Law
Just How Much Personal Data are You Sharing with Your Mobile Apps?
Data is a tricky tool. It can be used to verify identity and find like-minded people. From our birth dates to our gender and favourite food preferences, we have all shared data online. However, after the recent news outbreak concerning Cambridge Analytica, United States citizens are quickly realising their personal…

Settling What Will Happen to Your Online Accounts After You Die
In today’s modern society, much of our time is spent interacting with technology gadgets. In the process, we set up multiple online accounts, most of which contain our personal and financial information. At the same time, we create an online personality. By posting a photo on Instagram, updating our status…

ICOs vs IPOs in Singapore: What’s the Difference?
With the recent increase in the number of Initial Coin Offering (ICO) launches, it is no surprise that there has been growing interest in ICOs as an investment avenue, apart from the more commonly-known Initial Public Offerings (IPOs). This article explores the differences between ICOs and IPOs, focusing on the:…

5 Areas in Which Businesses Can Learn From K Box’s Breach of the PDPA
The Personal Data Protection Commission (“PDPC”) recently published its inaugural decision, which concerned data breaches by K Box Entertainment Group Pte. Ltd. (“K Box”) and Finantech Holdings Pte. Ltd. (“Finantech”). This article extracts the salient insights from the PDPC’s findings that can serve as learning points for businesses. Personal data…
Attempt by Hollywood studios to identify illegal downloaders dismissed by the High Court
Background In August 2016, Hollywood film studios QOTD Film Investment Ltd and Voltage Pictures, represented by Samuel Seow Law Corporation (SSLC), applied for a court order to compel local Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to release information about subscribers who allegedly infringed their copyright by illegally downloading their movies. The movies…

3 Takeaways for your Business from the Sonny Truyen Episode
On 10 July 2016, Sonny Truyen, a then-employee of Singapore property portal 99.co, posted offensive and derogatory remarks about Singapore on his personal Facebook account. The comments were with regard to Sonny’s frustration at the unavailability of a new mobile game, ‘Pokemon Go’, which was yet to be released Singapore.…

What K Box’s personal data breach means for your business
Even though the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) was passed in 2012, it was only in April 2016 that the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) began taking punitive measures against non-compliant companies in Singapore. Singapore takes hardline stance on non-compliant companies In April 2016, the PDPC fined 4 companies and…

Rise of the Background Checkers: Why you have to manage your internet profile
by Foo Cheow Ming Do you wish, at some point in your life, to become a professional, a government servant, an employee of a reputable MNC, or a director of a public listed company? Or to run for public office? Or to assume community or religious leadership? In short, to do…

All you need to know about the Dallas Buyers Club saga
You would have heard by now that Dallas Buyers Club LLC (“Dallas”) is sending letters of demand to Internet subscribers for alleged illegal downloading of the movie Dallas Buyers Club. This is something new. Thus far, aside from the Odex saga which shall be explained below, individual downloaders have not been targeted…