Singapore government to block internet on public servants’ official computers

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In a bolt from the blue, the Singapore government will cut off internet access to all computers used officially by public servants. According to The Straits Times:

A memo is going out to all government agencies, ministries and statutory boards here about the Internet blockade a year from now, The Straits Times has learnt.

There are some 100,000 computers in use by the public service and all of them will be affected.

“The Singapore Government regularly reviews our IT measures to make our network more secure,” a spokesman for the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) said when contacted.

The move is aimed at plugging potential leaks from work e-mail and shared documents amid heightened security threats.

The newspaper adds that trials have already begun at IDA, the agency leading this exercise, since April.

To be clear, web surfing is still allowed, but only on the employees’ personal devices and agency-issued ones, which are not linked to the government’s email system. Dedicated internet terminals will also be set up.

Public servants, however, will be allowed to forward unclassified work emails to their private email accounts.

The news, predictably, has drawn ire on social media, with commenters noting how this move is in stark contrast with Singapore’s Smart Nation aspirations.

It also raises several questions.

Was there a specific event or breach that led to this course of action?

Is it too extreme for all public servants to be affected by this, given that the confidential nature of their work varies?