After privacy concerns were raised over the new Bizfile portal showing people’s details for free, the government announced early on Saturday ( Dec 14 ) that it plans to change the practice of masking National Registration Identity Card ( NRIC ) numbers.
In response to advertising inquiries, the government said it would make this change “only after explaining the problem and setting the earth.”
But, the , Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA )’s new Bizfile , website had a search function that produced people’s names and complete NRIC numbers. This new website was launched on December 9 before the state made its plans known.
” We acknowledge that cooperation could have been much but that ACRA’s walk would not have run ahead of the president’s intent”, said MDDI in its speech.
We regret making this error and making people anxious.
Bertha Henson, a former journalist, initially brought up the matter on Twitter. She posted about how easy it was to get NRIC numbers on Bizfile, a online service site for business membership, filing and information.  ,
Some readers of Ms. Henson’s article expressed surprise and concern for the security of their personal information.
On Friday morning, CNA searched the site for a number of users with their titles and complete NRIC figures. When CNA looked up some Cabinet officials on Bizfile, this appeared to work.
Under ACRA’s past system, users may search for people who are business buyers or business users in Singapore. Their titles, as well as their veiled NRIC figures, would turn up in the search results.
People could then pay for the entire set of details about a person, which would include their whole NRIC number as well as an tackle. Some people give the collection a unique contact, such as an office address.
In the business environment, this information is available to assist business transparency and trust.
ACRA acknowledged in a separate speech early on Saturday morning that users no longer had to pay for the information because the new site had displayed a person’s total NRIC variety in the search results.
According to the statement,” This is in line with the larger government effort to stop using masked NRIC numbers.”
ACRA stated that it had “moved ahead with unmasking” in order to provide public education on the appropriate use of NRIC information.
Many people reacted negatively to the new search feature and expressed unease over their full NRIC numbers being made public, the authority said, adding that the search function has been turned off for the time being.
” We apologize for the error and for causing concern in the community. We will continue to update and review the Bizfile portal in order to fulfill our responsibilities as Singapore’s national business register.
When CNA tried to use the search feature early Saturday morning, a pop-up message stated:” This service is temporarily unavailable. We regret the inconvenience that was caused.