SINGAPORE – The Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) has taken enforcement actions against 11 organisations for breaching their data protection obligations – four firms were fined, six were issued warnings and one tour agency was directed to enhance its…
Source link
11 organisations fined, warned for data privacy breaches
Chinese Internet mogul pledges $2.7 billion donation
BEIJING – The founder of China’s Internet giant Tencent will donate $2 billion (S$2.7 billion) in shares to charity, the company said – one of the largest gifts ever given in a country whose new super-rich have no tradition of philanthropy.
Pony Ma, Tencent’s chief executive, will give the shares to a new foundation for mainland projects in health, education and environmental conservation, among other issues, his company said.
The donation – which will vest over several years – appears to be the largest ever by a single individual in China, where there is great public mistrust of charitable organisations battered by years of scandal.
“After 10 years of exploration and participation in philanthropic activities, I increasingly feel that a longer-term and more organised way is needed to give back to society,” Ma said.
Pony Ma is the 34th richest man in the world with a net worth of $20.2 billion, according to Bloomberg’s ranking of billionaires.
China’s top businessmen fall far behind their Western counterparts in corporate social responsibility.
In 2014, Jack Ma and Joe Tsai, co-founders of rival Internet behemoth Alibaba, pledged to establish a philanthropic trust funded with shares in the company estimated to be worth $3 billion at the time.
But the country’s most generous donor last year was He Xiangjian, founder of appliance maker Midea, who gave 400 million yuan ($61.7 million), according to data compiled by Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
“In China, both donors and recipients have to pay taxes on donations. Many entrepreneurs find it hard to find a qualified charitable trust to manage the donations,” the state-run Global Times on Thursday quoted Song Houliang, chief editor of China Philanthropist magazine, as saying.
“Such problems have dampened their enthusiasm for giving,” he added.
China passed its first charity law in March, which sought to increase public confidence in giving while tightening its control of the sector. It will take effect on September 1.
China is the world’s second-largest economy but ranks 144th out of 145 countries for giving, according to a study last year by the Charities Aid Foundation.
Chinese citizens donated just $16 billion in 2014, according to the most recent data from the China Charity Information Centre – less than 0.2 per cent of annual GDP.
In the US in 2014, giving accounted for 2.1 per cent of GDP, according to the National Philanthropic Trust.
The issue is partly driven by a lack of legal framework for charitable trusts and taxes, analysts say.
“Donations can be made only when the fundamentals are all in place, and that’s why I think giving to charities is more difficult than earning money,” the Global Times cited Jack Ma as saying in a speech at Peking University last year.
Image:
Publication Date:
Thursday, April 21, 2016 – 14:12
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Story Type:
Others
K Box, Challenger, Metro among 11 companies fined and warned for breaching personal data act
SINGAPORE – Local karaoke chain K Box and shopping departmental store Metro are among 11 companies that have been flagged for lapses under the Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA).
K Box was ordered by the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC) to pay a fine of $50,000, while its IT vendor Finantech was fined $10,000.
On Sept 16, 2016, over 317,000 K Box Singapore clients were leaked.
PDPC noted in a press release today (April 21) that 90,000 members’ personal data were sent in an unencrypted email between K Box and its IT vendor, Finantech.
Besides not having a Data Protection Officer, K Box felt that its data protection measures were adequate due to “the nature of the K Box’s business (i.e. value for money, family-orientated, karaoke entertainment for everyone) and the fact that the data are non-financial in nature”.
The karaoke chain later conceded to PDPC that its privacy policy before Sept 16, 2014 was not comprehensive.
PDPC also highlighted the relationship between K Box and Finantech: “What the parties referred to as ‘contracts’ were actually quotations sent by Finantech to K Box for their confirmation and acceptance.”
The Institution of Engineers Singapore was fined $10,000, while health supplements supplier Fei Fah Medical Manufacturing was fined $5,000. Their lapses affected 4,000 and 900 accounts respectively.
PDPC also addressed the leak of Metro customers’ personal data which occurred on Feb 9 and 10, 2014.
An audit by KPMG Singapore revealed 30 vulnerabilities in Metro’s IT system before the hacking of its corporate website, PDPC said in its findings, and issued a warning to Metro.
Similar warnings were issued to IT retail chain Challenger Technologies, its IT vendor Xirlynx Innovations, consumer home show organiser Full House Communications, Singapore Computer Society, and YesTuition Agency.
Travel agency Universal Travel was also directed by PDPC to upgrade its personal data protection policies, after the unauthorised disclosure of 37 customers’ personal data to four individuals.
A complaint lodged against Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi for disclosing personal data to third-party marketers was found to be unsubstantiated, PDPC said.
Xiaomi also provided an undertaking to PDPC to improve its compliance of personal data.
To date, PDPC has received 667 complaints since the PDPA came into full effect in July 2014. 92 per cent of the complaints were resolved amicably, PDPC said.
“The enforcement actions taken are not to deter the use of personal data for business competitiveness. We recognise that data is essential for innovation in today’s economy. The key is to use it responsibly and take appropriate actions to protect it,” said Mr Leong Keng Thai, Chairman, PDPC.
“Both the organisation and its data intermediary, such as IT vendors that provide systems and data management solutions to businesses, are expected to exercise due care and implement adequate security measures.”
grongloh@sph.com.sg
Image:
Publication Date:
Thursday, April 21, 2016 – 13:14
Keywords:
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Rotator Headline:
K Box leak: Karaoke chain felt protection measues adequate due to non-financial nature of data and nature of business
Rotator Image:
Story Type:
Rewritten Story
Driver runs red light, hits teen, then causes death of passenger
He was a 20-year-old probationary driver then. Less than 10 hours after running a red traffic light and crashing into a pedestrian, he caused a passenger in the van he was driving to be thrown out when he suddenly drove off and made a sharp turn before she could close the sliding door.
The back of 16-year-old Ms Norfatin Diana Norazlan’s head hit the ground and she was unresponsive. But afraid that he could lose his licence, Muhammad Nizam Abdul Karim told his friends not to call for an ambulance.
Ms Norfatin died shortly after.
Describing his actions as clearly irresponsible and indefensible, District Judge Luke Tan yesterday sentenced Nizam, now 22, to 13 months in jail. Nizam pleaded guilty to four charges: dangerous driving, negligence not amounting to culpable homicide, drug possession and drug consumption.
He will also be barred from driving for five years after his release.
The court heard that on April 12, 2014, Nizam was fiddling with his in-vehicle Global Positioning System device while driving along Bedok South Avenue 2.
At about 7.50pm, he hit 18-year-old Chua Shuen Zhi at the crossing outside Bedok Green Primary School. Mr Chua was flung a distance away and lost consciousness. He needed 10 stitches to his forehead.
The van’s front windscreen was badly cracked and Nizam’s office required him to return it for repairs. Instead, he used it for an all-night outing with friends at Changi Beach.
At about 5.30am, Ms Norfatin and her younger sister Norfarah Aqasha got into the back of the van at a carpark there.
Ms Norfatin sat near the left sliding door, with her back against the front passenger seat.
As she was closing the door, Nizam shot off abruptly and made a right turn towards the carpark exit. The momentum caused the door to slide open, flinging Ms Norfatin out.
She hit the ground with a loud thud and her sister shouted for Nizam to stop. Friends there wanted to call for an ambulance, but Nizam berated them.
He carried Ms Norfatin to the back of the van with a male friend, and drove to another carpark. He then went to the beach to chat with a female friend, while Ms Norfarah stayed with her sister.
By 7.20am, Ms Norfatin was cold and her fingers were turning blue.
Her sister called for an ambulance, while a friend went to seek help at a nearby first aid tent which had been set up for an event. Ms Norfatin was pronounced dead in hospital at 9.25am.
Separately, on Nov 10 last year, Nizam was arrested for the possession and use of methamphetamine.
In passing sentence, Judge Tan, highlighting how Nizam failed to call for an ambulance, said: “I agree with the prosecution that the accused’s actions were selfish and clearly made a bad situation even worse.”
amirh@sph.com.sg
This article was first published on April 21, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Image:
Blurb:
Publication Date:
Thursday, April 21, 2016 – 14:00
Keywords:
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Rotator Headline:
Driver enjoys night outing in between 2 accidents, killing friend and hitting teen
Story Type:
Others
MRT system plagued by two breakdowns in a day
Both the North-South Line and North-East Line were hit by train disruptions on Thursday morning (Apr 21).
Source link
Actor Tony Eusoff jailed 8 months for possession of cannabis
He was caught with 4.56 grams of cannabis mixture on Mar 12 this year while travelling to Singapore to finish shooting Mediacorp TV series The Hush.
Source link
Head of eco-certification unit joins Indonesian firm blamed for haze
He was in charge of the Singapore Green Labelling Scheme, given as proof of a product’s eco-friendliness.
He was also head of the non-government Singapore Environment Council’s (SEC) eco-certification unit when it suspended use of the label last year by products from Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), the Indonesian firm accused of being one of the biggest culprits behind the haze.
Now, Mr Kavickumar Muruganathan, 27, has switched sides. After three years at SEC, the environmental engineer on Monday joined APP as a sustainability and stakeholder engagement manager, and is helping the firm try to regain its Green Label here.
This comes four months after SEC’s former head Jose Raymond joined APP as its vice-president of corporate affairs in Singapore.
Related: Former Singapore Environment Council chief joins Indonesia pulp firm
SEC declined to comment on the moves, and observers are adopting a wait-and-see attitude to see if environmental change can truly be effected from within.
The haze that choked Singapore and the region last year was the worst on record, Data from environmental groups showed the Sinar Mas Group/APP corporate group managed concessions with the highest number of hot spots then. APP is a unit of the Sinar Mas Group.
While under Mr Kavickumar, SEC’s eco-certifications unit suspended the use of its Green Label on APP products. This spurred supermarket chains to pull APP products, such as toilet rolls and facial tissue, from the shelves.
Read also:
NTUC FairPrice withdraws 18 products sourced from APP suspected of contributing to haze
Minister blasts execs of firm that denied burning forest
Brushing off criticism that he was a turncoat, Mr Kavickumar (above) said: “I am guided by my moral compass. I see the appointment as a new challenge and being one step closer to the problem to address the root cause of the haze.”
He also said: “Eventually, I want APP to be recognised by local and international green certification bodies for its efforts in combating haze.”
Professor Ang Peng Hwa, who leads volunteer group Haze Elimination Action Team, said that the two new hires could be a double-edged sword. “These are high-reward-high-risk hires for APP. Should either disagree and resign, it will be another reputational dent for the firm.”
Singapore Management University law don Eugene Tan said that hiring Mr Kavickumar, who used to be head of eco-certifications at SEC, could help APP regain the Green Label for their products as part of the urgent rebuilding of trust with consumers.
“But the chain of events will also raise concerns over the rigour and transparency of the SEC’s Singapore Green Label scheme and whether hiring former SEC staff is more a strategic than substantive move.”
audreyt@sph.com.sg
Read also:
Pulp and paper giant flags errant landowners
Supermarts checking if APP is tied to forest fires
This article was first published on April 21, 2016.
Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.
Indonesia president Joko Widodo cuts short US trip due to haze
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
AFP, Reuters
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
Reuters, AFP, The Straits Times, Berita Harian
Click on thumbnail to view photos. Source:
Cai Yinzhou, Facebook screengrabs, Kompas
Image:
Publication Date:
Thursday, April 21, 2016 – 14:00
Keywords:
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Rotator Headline:
Head of S'pore eco-certification unit joins APP, one of biggest alleged haze culprits
Rotator Image:
Story Type:
Others
China to launch "core module" for space station around 2018
BEIJING – China will launch a “core module” for its first space station some time around 2018, a senior official told the state-run Xinhua news agency on Thursday, part of the country’s plan to have a permanent manned space station in service around 2022.
Advancing China’s space programme is a priority for Beijing, with President Xi Jinping calling for the country to establish itself as a space power.
The “core module” will be called the “Tianhe-1”, the Chinese word for galaxy or Milky Way, Wang Zhongyang, spokesman for the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp, told Xinhua. “Two space labs will be launched later and dock with the core module, ‘Tianhe-1,'” he said. “The construction of the space station is expected to finish in 2022.” The report provided no other details.
China insists that its space programme is for peaceful purposes. However, the US Defence Department has highlighted China’s increasing space capabilities, saying China was pursuing activities aimed at preventing its adversaries from using space-based assets during a crisis.
In a manned space mission in 2013, three Chinese astronauts spent 15 days in orbit and docked with an experimental space laboratory, the Tiangong (Heavenly Palace) 1.
Image:
Publication Date:
Thursday, April 21, 2016 – 12:01
Keywords:
Send to mobile app:
Source:
Story Type:
Others
PM Lee singles out two sectors in the Middle East that S'pore firms can tap on
TEL AVIV – Water management and technology ventures are two sectors that Singaporean companies could do well in in the Middle East, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Speaking to the Singaporean media on Wednesday evening (April 20, Israel time) as he…
Source link
Malaysia’s drought a timely reminder to conserve water: Masagos
JERUSALEM – The severe water shortage in several Malaysian states serves as a timely reminder to Singaporeans that they must conserve more water, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli.
Commenting on announcements that states…
Source link
