[Reading Group] Collective Summary #4: Tying It Up — Truth & Regulation, Privacy & Power, Smart Nation & Cyber Leadership in ASEAN

Over the past two months, the participants of SPJ’s reading group have been developing their individual article ideas, inspired by their past three policy discussions on digital technology issues, ranging from notions of governance regarding smart cities, to perspectives on trust in government and regulation of commercial technologies. During this final student-led colloquium, the participants presented and provided feedback to one another as they prepared to write their op-eds and explainers.

In the last of four collective summaries, Monica Chan takes stock of the reading group’s presentations, whose topics fell under three main themes: Truth & Regulation, Championing Inclusive Tech, and Smart Nation Aspirations.

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[Reading Group] Collective Summary #3: Regulating Digital Technology — Challenges & Trade-offs

The Singapore government’s rollout of SafeEntry and TraceTogether amidst COVID-19 has introduced a new wave of discourse on data security, privacy, and accountability. These conversations are also being fueled with calls for stricter regulations on Big Tech as consumers come to grips with the industry’s concentration of power and their ability to influence human behavior. In light of these ongoing developments, how should we think about the challenges and trade-offs that come with regulating digital technology?

In the third of four collective summaries following SPJ’s reading group, Jenn Hu reviews the remarks of our guest speakers, Simon Chesterman and Roland Turner. The summary details the takeaways from the group, as well the policy deep-dives conducted in group’s subsequent roundtable discussions.

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[Reading Group] Collective Summary #2: The Foundations of Trust in a Digital Society

The recent focus on TraceTogether data and the use of POFMA during the 2020 General Elections have highlighted the increasing urgency of the need for awareness of emerging digital technology issues and how they affect society. What are our roles and responsibilities as citizens? How much trust can we place in public office when it comes to the control and use of digital technology? And what are the economics and principles that inform our assessment of whether we can trust digital technology to begin with?

In the second of four collective summaries following SPJ’s reading group, Joshua Tan reviews the remarks of our guest speakers, David Eaves and Bruce Schneier. The summary details the takeaways from the group, as well the policy deep-dives conducted in group’s subsequent roundtable discussions.

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[Reading Group] Collective Summary #1: Do Citizens Dream of Smart Cities?

As the prevalence of digital technology looks set to become a mainstay in Singapore’s smart nation ambitions, what benefits and costs can we expect? What kind of future will that create, and what are some societal issues that must first be recognized and resolved before accepting such a future?

In the first of four collective summaries following SPJ’s reading group, Jonathan Cheng reviews the topics discussed in the inaugural session. The summary details the takeaways from the group, which comprises student participants from a range of academic backgrounds.

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