Singapore government is going to
slap restrictions on public servants to access the internet on workplace
computers from May of next year. The restriction aims to prevent potential
leaks from work emails and shared documents following heightened security
threats.
Online access for government
employees from 100,000 computers will be cut of following the move. Government
employees will also be barred from forwarding any work related data to personal
emails. Citizens of the city state have been witnessed to express their shock
and skepticism in the social media sites.
The government move conflicts
with Singapore’s much promoted initiative of Smart Nation technology, alleges
some citizens. However, some others consider the move as quite extreme since it
will be applicable also for the teachers who usually do not handle much
sensitive information, reports BBC.
A memorandum detailing the new
policy is being sent to all government agencies as part of heightened security,
informs Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) through a statement. To make the
network more secure, Singapore government regularly reviews the IT measures.
The authority has initiated
arranging separate internet access from the workstations for a selected group
of public service officials. Similar arrangement will also be made for the
other public service officials simultaneously within the next one year.
However, workers will be allowed to access the internet through their personal
devices, informs CNN citing the IDA memo as the source.
Trials for the move have been
initiated comprising of some employees within the IDA since April. Employees
are allowed to surf web from their personal tablets or mobile phones since access
to government email system through such devices is restricted.
IDA has arranged some dedicated
internet terminals to facilitate access through limited number of such devices.
However, public servants will be allowed to forward work emails to their
private accounts, if they deem necessary. Such stringent measure to cut off
internet access from all network terminals is a rare instance, even in the banks, telcos or
casinos that are familiar for strictest computer use policies, analyzes The Straits Times.
Analysts, sales personnel and
employees engaged in corporate communications are provided internet access in
the banks. But the net users are restricted from file sharing and entering into
web-hosted emails or pornography websites. Officials may inadvertently download
malware from websites or share sensitive documents online and to resist them
from doing so, banks limit the internet access.
The government’s move pulls back
Singapore to the days of 1990s when internet access has been allowed only
through dedicated terminals, comments Aloysius Cheang, executive vice president
for the Asia-Pacific of Cloud Security Alliance, a global association on
computing security. Extraction of sensitive information from government
networks using malware has been very tough in the past.
But now it is difficult to check
leak on social media or file sharing sites and hence the new system is going to
be incorporated, adds Mr. Cheang while commenting. Since internet is essential
now a day in processing works, so people will take time to adopt with the new
regulation. Even teachers need internet to develop worksheets and test papers. So
implementation of the new regulation will hamper activities of those who are
non-tech and use internet to enrich their delivery to the workplaces.
However, some analysts have compared the move with
cutting heads to get rid of headache. There exists no way to keep computers
fully safe subject to full functioning of the USB ports. Computers can be kept
safe through disconnecting the internet connection. However, such measures can
develop a sense among the public officials working with sensitive information to
remain alert about the cyber security, analyzes Michael Gazeley, Managing
Director of Network Box and a cyber security expert. 
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