Singapore Personal Data Protection Commission Issues Advisory Guidelines On Key Concepts In The Personal Data Protection Act 2012

In February this year, the Singapore Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) launched a public consultation on proposed regulations and two sets of guidelines on key concepts and selected topics under the Personal Data Protection Act 2012 (No. 26 of 2012) (the Act). Following that consultation, the PDPC issued in September the final advisory guidelines on the key concepts. These final guidelines address the nine obligations that form the foundation for provisions under the Act.

The essential recommendations closely follow the Act and emphasise the main data protection principles, including that data may only be processed for specified purposes and that individuals must be provided with advance notice of the purposes for collection and what data may be optional or required. The advance notification requirement underpins the need for valid consent under the Act. Data should be accurate, complete and up to date. It is possible to presume this is the case when provided