July 7, 2020 | less than a minute read

New advisory issued on use of personal data for Singapore election campaigns

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Charmian Aw

Counsel

Get in touch

Charmian Aw

Counsel

As Singapore gears up for its national polling day on 10 July 2020, an advisory has been issued to clarify that electors' names and addresses can be obtained by candidates and political parties via the Registers of Electors.

Such personal data can be used for communications but not for any commercial purpose.

Further information can be found in Section 21A of the Parliamentary Elections Act and the Elections Department website.

Reed Smith LLP is licensed to operate as a foreign law practice in Singapore under the name and style, Reed Smith Pte Ltd (hereafter collectively, "Reed Smith"). Where advice on Singapore law is required, we will refer the matter to and work with Reed Smith's Formal Law Alliance partner in Singapore, Resource Law LLC, where necessary.

As such, consent is not required under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) for political parties, election candidates and their election agents to use the information in the Registers of Electors for the purpose of communicating with electors. Nevertheless, they must still comply with the data protection provisions, including taking appropriate measures to prevent unintended disclosure of the personal data when distributing election mailers.

www.pdpc.gov.sg/...