<s>
TraceTogether	B-Application
is	O
a	O
digital	O
system	O
implemented	O
by	O
the	O
Government	O
of	O
Singapore	O
to	O
facilitate	O
contact	O
tracing	O
efforts	O
in	O
response	O
to	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
in	O
Singapore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Together	O
with	O
SafeEntry	B-Application
,	O
it	O
allows	O
the	O
identification	O
of	O
specific	O
locations	O
where	O
a	O
spread	O
between	O
close	O
contacts	O
may	O
occur	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
app	O
utilises	O
a	O
custom	O
protocol	O
,	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
,	O
which	O
allows	O
for	O
a	O
distributed	O
approach	O
whereby	O
participating	O
devices	O
exchange	O
proximity	O
information	O
whenever	O
an	O
app	O
detects	O
another	O
device	O
with	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
app	O
installed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
protocol	O
,	O
and	O
reference	O
app	O
implementations	O
of	O
it	O
,	O
were	O
also	O
open	O
sourced	O
as	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
and	O
OpenTrace	O
respectively	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Further	O
iterations	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
added	O
support	O
for	O
SafeEntry	B-Application
,	O
a	O
national	O
digital	O
check-in	O
system	O
that	O
logs	O
the	O
national	O
identification	O
and	O
mobile	O
numbers	O
of	O
individuals	O
visiting	O
hotspots	O
,	O
workplaces	O
of	O
permitted	O
enterprises	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
selected	O
public	O
venues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
goal	O
of	O
SafeEntry	B-Application
helps	O
COVID-19	O
cases	O
remember	O
the	O
places	O
that	O
they	O
've	O
visited	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Android	B-Application
users	O
are	O
additionally	O
required	O
to	O
grant	O
Location	O
permission	O
as	O
Bluetooth	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
derive	O
location	O
information	O
when	O
combined	O
with	O
beacons	O
in	O
fixed	O
locations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
usage	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
had	O
been	O
limited	O
by	O
the	O
technical	O
limitations	O
of	O
needing	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
application	O
to	O
run	O
in	O
the	O
foreground	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
,	O
and	O
battery	O
drain	O
,	O
but	O
these	O
problems	O
had	O
been	O
reportedly	O
addressed	O
in	O
the	O
2.1	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
released	O
on	O
3	O
July	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
version	O
2.1.3	O
of	O
5	O
Aug	O
added	O
informational	O
,	O
work	O
pass	O
and	O
SafeEntry	B-Application
QR	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
10	O
April	O
2020	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
lifting	O
of	O
the	O
embargo	O
on	O
the	O
Google-Apple	O
Exposure	B-Application
Notification	I-Application
(	O
GAEN	B-Application
)	O
system	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
announced	O
that	O
they	O
had	O
been	O
working	O
with	O
Apple	O
and	O
Google	O
on	O
specifications	O
which	O
would	O
allow	O
for	O
cross-border	O
inter-operability	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
begun	O
to	O
incorporate	O
these	O
new	O
APIs	O
into	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
developers	O
envisaged	O
this	O
as	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
overcome	O
the	O
app	O
's	O
inability	O
to	O
access	O
full	O
background	O
Bluetooth	O
scanning	O
functionality	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
(	O
which	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
app	O
being	O
active	O
only	O
when	O
it	O
ran	O
in	O
the	O
foreground	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
increase	O
the	O
pool	O
of	O
interoperable	O
devices	O
,	O
both	O
of	O
which	O
could	O
have	O
increased	O
the	O
contact	O
tracing	O
utility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
5	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
Minister-in-charge	O
of	O
the	O
Smart	O
Nation	O
Initiative	O
Vivian	O
Balakrishnan	O
acknowledged	O
in	O
Parliament	O
the	O
inability	O
of	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
app	O
to	O
work	O
well	O
particularly	O
on	O
iOS	B-Application
or	O
Apple	O
devices	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
these	O
had	O
not	O
been	O
overcome	O
despite	O
discussions	O
at	O
the	O
technical	O
and	O
policy	O
level	O
with	O
Apple	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
subsequently	O
explained	O
that	O
the	O
Government	O
had	O
decided	O
against	O
using	O
the	O
Google-Apple	O
Exposure	B-Application
Notification	I-Application
(	O
GAEN	B-Application
)	O
system	O
,	O
citing	O
its	O
inability	O
to	O
"	O
identify	O
how	O
,	O
when	O
and	O
whom	O
the	O
person	O
was	O
infected	O
by	O
or	O
passed	O
the	O
infection	O
to	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
the	O
'	O
graph	O
 '	O
not	O
being	O
available	O
to	O
the	O
contact	O
tracers	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
portable	O
,	O
wearable	O
device	O
,	O
called	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
Token	O
would	O
be	O
issued	O
to	O
all	O
5.7	O
million	O
residents	O
in	O
order	O
to	O
increase	O
the	O
pool	O
of	O
participants	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
7	O
December	O
2020	O
,	O
market	O
research	O
firm	O
Gartner	O
crowned	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
as	O
the	O
Asia-Pacific	O
winner	O
for	O
its	O
2020	O
Government	O
Eye	O
on	O
Innovation	O
award	O
,	O
after	O
the	O
firm	O
had	O
conducted	O
a	O
poll	O
among	O
various	O
government	O
organisations	O
around	O
the	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
Minister	O
for	O
National	O
Development	O
Lawrence	O
Wong	O
,	O
a	O
co-chair	O
of	O
the	O
multi-ministry	O
Covid	O
task	O
force	O
,	O
explained	O
that	O
for	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
to	O
be	O
effective	O
,	O
at	O
least	O
three-quarters	O
–	O
if	O
not	O
everyone	O
–	O
of	O
the	O
population	O
had	O
to	O
install	O
it	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
to	O
turn	O
on	O
their	O
Bluetooth	O
function	O
to	O
ensure	O
the	O
app	O
was	O
running	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
5	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
the	O
Minister-in-charge	O
of	O
the	O
Smart	O
Nation	O
Initiative	O
announced	O
in	O
Parliament	O
that	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
has	O
been	O
downloaded	O
on	O
a	O
voluntary	O
basis	O
by	O
1.5	O
million	O
users	O
,	O
which	O
worked	O
out	O
to	O
only	O
25	O
per	O
cent	O
of	O
the	O
population	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
complementing	O
manual	O
contact	O
tracing	O
effort	O
,	O
the	O
contact	O
tracing	O
teams	O
has	O
improved	O
their	O
efficiency	O
by	O
reducing	O
the	O
time	O
taken	O
to	O
identify	O
and	O
quarantine	O
a	O
close	O
contact	O
from	O
four	O
days	O
to	O
less	O
than	O
two	O
days	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
than	O
10%	O
of	O
close	O
contacts	O
identified	O
by	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
turned	O
positive	O
during	O
quarantine	O
period	O
,	O
the	O
percentage	O
may	O
be	O
low	O
due	O
to	O
Singapore	O
mandating	O
mask-wearing	O
since	O
14	O
April	O
2020	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
reported	O
on	O
22	O
April	O
2021	O
that	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
system	O
had	O
identified	O
at	O
least	O
75	O
persons	O
who	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
placed	O
under	O
quarantine	O
,	O
but	O
would	O
likely	O
not	O
have	O
been	O
picked	O
up	O
through	O
a	O
manual	O
contact	O
tracing	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
7	O
June	O
2020	O
,	O
Minister-in-Charge	O
of	O
the	O
Smart	O
Nation	O
Initiative	O
Vivian	O
Balakrishnan	O
announced	O
that	O
the	O
government	O
would	O
be	O
distributing	O
a	O
physical	O
device	O
,	O
named	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
Token	O
,	O
to	O
augment	O
the	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
Token	O
is	O
designed	O
primarily	O
to	O
support	O
Singapore	O
residents	O
who	O
do	O
not	O
own	O
a	O
smartphone	O
,	O
mainly	O
some	O
elderly	O
,	O
children	O
aged	O
seven	O
and	O
above	O
or	O
residents	O
with	O
workplace	O
restriction	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
issuance	O
of	O
the	O
device	O
,	O
the	O
government	O
aimed	O
to	O
achieve	O
at	O
least	O
70%	O
of	O
the	O
population	O
using	O
either	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
Token	O
or	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
the	O
app	O
,	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
Token	O
utilises	O
BlueTooth	O
to	O
exchange	O
signals	O
with	O
other	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
Tokens	O
or	O
the	O
mobile	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
26	O
October	O
2020	O
report	O
indicated	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
a	O
higher	O
than	O
expected	O
demand	O
after	O
the	O
news	O
of	O
mandatory	O
usage	O
of	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
was	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Downloading	O
,	O
installing	O
,	O
registering	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
app	O
and	O
scanning	O
in/out	O
using	O
the	O
TraceTogether-only	O
SafeEntry	B-Application
(	O
TT-only	O
SE	O
)	O
has	O
been	O
made	O
mandatory	O
for	O
all	O
Singaporeans	O
and	O
at	O
all	O
places	O
such	O
as	O
cinemas	O
,	O
restaurants	O
,	O
workplaces	O
,	O
schools	O
and	O
shopping	O
malls	O
for	O
contact	O
tracing	O
purposes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
includes	O
the	O
device	O
called	O
SafeEntry	B-Application
Gateway	O
(	O
Check	O
in	O
and	O
check	O
out	O
)	O
to	O
enable	O
users	O
to	O
scan	O
in	O
and	O
out	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
also	O
shows	O
vaccination	O
status	O
and	O
pre-event	O
testing	O
(	O
PET	O
)	O
status	O
whether	O
the	O
person	O
test	O
positive	O
or	O
negative	O
for	O
COVID-19	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
other	O
methods	O
of	O
checking	O
in	O
through	O
SafeEntry	B-Application
such	O
as	O
either	O
the	O
phone	O
camera	O
,	O
NRIC	O
or	O
Singpass	O
app	O
are	O
all	O
removed	O
since	O
the	O
second	O
lockdown	O
on	O
17	O
May	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
May	O
2021	O
,	O
some	O
businesses	O
including	O
ComfortDelGro	O
Driving	O
Centre	O
,	O
Royal	O
Caribbean	O
Cruises	O
and	O
Dream	O
Cruises	O
were	O
reported	O
to	O
have	O
denied	O
entry	O
to	O
students	O
and	O
passengers	O
whose	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
app	O
displayed	O
"	O
possible	O
exposure	O
"	O
,	O
despite	O
the	O
Ministry	O
of	O
Health	O
(	O
MOH	O
)	O
affirming	O
that	O
such	O
persons	O
were	O
at	O
low	O
risk	O
and	O
not	O
restricted	O
from	O
continuing	O
with	O
their	O
regular	O
activities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Singapore	O
Tourism	O
Board	O
subsequently	O
issued	O
a	O
statement	O
that	O
"	O
cruise	O
lines	O
should	O
adhere	O
to	O
the	O
guidance	O
from	O
the	O
MOH	O
and	O
the	O
SNDGO	O
regarding	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
data	O
from	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
app	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
the	O
cruise	O
companies	O
reversed	O
or	O
changed	O
the	O
ban	O
to	O
an	O
advisory	O
"	O
encouraging	O
"	O
affected	O
passengers	O
to	O
postpone	O
their	O
sailing	O
dates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
the	O
usage	O
of	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
system	O
would	O
be	O
limited	O
to	O
large	O
events	O
with	O
500	O
participants	O
,	O
food	O
and	O
beverages	O
outlets	O
,	O
and	O
nightlife	O
entertainment	O
establishments	O
with	O
dancing	O
facilities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
app	O
(	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
SafeEntry	B-Application
app	O
)	O
could	O
be	O
uninstalled	O
from	O
handphones	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
protocol	O
is	O
designed	O
to	O
preserve	O
the	O
privacy	O
of	O
users	O
,	O
but	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
other	O
implementations	O
,	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
app	O
is	O
not	O
anonymous	O
as	O
participants	O
have	O
to	O
register	O
using	O
their	O
phone	O
number	O
and	O
national	O
registration	O
number	O
or	O
other	O
evidence	O
of	O
residency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
safeguard	O
participant	O
's	O
mutual	O
privacy	O
and	O
ensuring	O
their	O
control	O
over	O
the	O
data	O
,	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
states	O
that	O
it	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
TraceTogether	B-Application
uses	O
Bluetooth	O
to	O
approximate	O
distance	O
to	O
other	O
nearby	O
phones	O
running	O
the	O
same	O
app	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Prompts	O
disabling	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
's	O
functionality	O
once	O
contact	O
tracing	O
ceases	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
privacy	O
concern	O
relating	O
to	O
the	O
BlueTrace	B-Protocol
protocol	O
is	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
centralised	O
report	O
processing	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
a	O
user	O
must	O
upload	O
their	O
entire	O
contact	O
log	O
to	O
a	O
health	O
authority	O
administered	O
server	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
in	O
contradistinction	O
to	O
decentralised	O
report	O
processing	O
protocols	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Decentralized	B-Protocol
Privacy-Preserving	I-Protocol
Proximity	I-Protocol
Tracing	I-Protocol
(	O
DP-3T	B-Protocol
)	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
4	O
January	O
2021	O
,	O
Minister	O
of	O
State	O
for	O
Home	O
Affairs	O
Desmond	O
Tan	O
revealed	O
in	O
Parliament	O
that	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
data	O
could	O
be	O
accessed	O
by	O
the	O
police	O
for	O
criminal	O
investigations	O
under	O
the	O
Criminal	O
Procedure	O
Code	O
,	O
which	O
contradicted	O
previous	O
assurances	O
by	O
Minister	O
Balakrishnan	O
and	O
others	O
that	O
the	O
data	O
would	O
be	O
used	O
only	O
for	O
contact	O
tracing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
disclosure	O
followed	O
investigations	O
triggered	O
by	O
an	O
inquiry	O
from	O
a	O
member	O
of	O
the	O
public	O
in	O
October	O
2020	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
filing	O
of	O
a	O
parliamentary	O
question	O
by	O
MP	O
Christopher	O
de	O
Souza	O
in	O
early	O
December	O
2020	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
3-month	O
delay	O
attributed	O
to	O
deliberations	O
over	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
excluding	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
data	O
from	O
the	O
Criminal	O
Procedure	O
Code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
questions	O
from	O
Leader	O
of	O
the	O
Opposition	O
Pritam	O
Singh	O
and	O
Non-Constituency	O
MP	O
Leong	O
Mun	O
Wai	O
,	O
Minister	O
Desmond	O
Tan	O
explained	O
in	O
Parliament	O
on	O
2	O
February	O
2021	O
that	O
this	O
had	O
happened	O
in	O
May	O
2020	O
during	O
the	O
course	O
of	O
the	O
Punggol	O
Field	O
murder	O
investigation	O
,	O
where	O
the	O
police	O
tried	O
to	O
but	O
failed	O
to	O
obtain	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
data	O
from	O
the	O
suspect	O
Surajsrikan	O
Diwakar	O
Mani	O
Tripathi	O
,	O
who	O
did	O
not	O
install	O
the	O
app	O
in	O
his	O
phone	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Privacy	O
concerns	O
were	O
raised	O
by	O
various	O
experts	O
with	O
former	O
Nominated	O
Member	O
of	O
Parliament	O
and	O
Associate	O
Professor	O
of	O
Law	O
Eugene	O
Tan	O
saying	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
news	O
came	O
across	O
as	O
the	O
Government	O
backtracking	O
on	O
its	O
earlier	O
assurance	O
that	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
would	O
only	O
be	O
used	O
for	O
contact	O
tracing	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
clearly	O
undermines	O
their	O
trust	O
and	O
credibility	O
,	O
and	O
could	O
undermine	O
its	O
future	O
efforts	O
....	O
to	O
keep	O
COVID-19	O
under	O
control	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
privacy	O
statement	O
was	O
updated	O
on	O
4	O
January	O
2021	O
to	O
include	O
possible	O
access	O
by	O
police	O
officers	O
for	O
investigations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Balakrishnan	O
explained	O
that	O
this	O
situation	O
was	O
not	O
unique	O
to	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
and	O
that	O
under	O
the	O
same	O
law	O
,	O
other	O
forms	O
of	O
sensitive	O
data	O
like	O
phone	O
or	O
banking	O
records	O
could	O
also	O
have	O
their	O
privacy	O
regulations	O
overruled	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Desmond	O
Tan	O
emphasised	O
that	O
access	O
to	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
data	O
remained	O
restricted	O
without	O
authorisation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
point	O
was	O
reiterated	O
by	O
K	O
Shanmugam	O
,	O
who	O
said	O
that	O
the	O
police	O
will	O
restrict	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
to	O
"	O
very	O
serious	O
offences	O
"	O
like	O
murder	O
and	O
terrorism	O
,	O
only	O
after	O
careful	O
consideration	O
and	O
discretion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
Balakrishnan	O
said	O
that	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
programme	O
will	O
be	O
stood	O
down	O
once	O
the	O
COVID-19	O
pandemic	O
ends	O
,	O
with	O
epidemiological	O
data	O
given	O
to	O
MOH	O
that	O
does	O
not	O
identify	O
users	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
only	O
senior	O
police	O
officers	O
with	O
the	O
rank	O
of	O
inspector	O
and	O
above	O
can	O
request	O
for	O
data	O
in	O
the	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
system	O
,	O
similarly	O
to	O
existing	O
data	O
requests	O
requirements	O
for	O
bank	O
data	O
from	O
financial	O
institutions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Singapore	O
's	O
reversal	O
of	O
initial	O
promises	O
regarding	O
police	O
access	O
to	O
TraceTogether	B-Application
data	O
was	O
cited	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
reasons	O
for	O
resistance	O
to	O
the	O
Hong	O
Kong	O
's	O
COVID-19	O
contact-tracing	O
application	O
,	O
LeaveHomeSafe	B-Application
.	O
</s>
