On 8 May 2023, the Online Criminal Harms Bill was introduced for its first reading in the Parliament. The Bill follows a suite of legislation aimed at protecting the public from harms in the online space, and introduces mechanisms for authorities to more effectively tackle online criminal activity.
On 9 May 2023, the Ministry of Communications and Information published a statement by its minister announcing plans to issue Advisory Guidelines on the Use of Personal Data in AI Systems under the Personal Data Protection Act. Singapore had previously launched A.I. Verify, the world’s first AI governance testing framework and toolkit for companies that wish to demonstrate responsible AI in an objective and verifiable manner. By issuing the Advisory Guidelines, the government plans to support the responsible development and deployment of AI so that its benefits may be enjoyed in a safe and trusted manner.
On 18 May 2023, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS) issued a warning against Salon One Pte Ltd and its related entities for its unfair practices under the Consumer Protection Fair Trading Act 2003. Investigations by the CCCS revealed that Salon One had made unsubstantiated representations on its herbal head spa treatment as being able to prevent various diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, brain stroke, etc. Salon One had also made false representations that there were price discounts, where in fact such discounts never existed as they were discounted from prices that were never offered.
The Therapeutic Products Branch of the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is intending to implement electronic common technical document (eCTD) submissions in Singapore. eCTD is a standard structured format for companies to transfer regulatory information related to therapeutic products to facilitate dossier submissions. The HSA has invited industry stakeholders to participate in the industry consultation on eCTD submissions up until 12 June 2023.
On 2 May 2023, the Health Sciences Authority (HSA) released a draft update to its guidance document on the risk classification of in vitro diagnostic medical devices. The key updates include clarification notes on the classification of control materials and software, and clarifications on several risk classification rules.
The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) updated its guidelines on general anti-avoidance on 31 March 2023, with the release of the IRAS e-Tax Guide: “Income Tax: The General Anti-Avoidance Provision and its Application (Second Edition)” (“Revised Anti-Avoidance ETG”).
The Revised Anti-Avoidance ETG sets out additional examples of arrangements that IRAS considers to fall under the general anti-avoidance provision set out in Section 33 of the Income Tax Act 1947. It is helpful in providing taxpayers with greater clarity on IRAS’ approach to Section 33.
Our Asia Pacific Employment & Compensation team is pleased to share our quarterly update, which highlights key employment law changes across the Asia Pacific region in the first quarter of 2023.
On 8 May 2023, the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) issued Consultation Paper P004-2023 proposing changes to subsidiary legislation to address, among others, the regulatory requirements applicable to payment services that will soon become licensable under the Singapore Payment Services Act 2019.
The Asia Pacific Medical Technology Association Code of Ethical Conduct has been revised to include further clarification around gifts. The revisions are effective from 1 January 2024.
Baker McKenzie’s Asia Pacific Employers’ Forum took place in Singapore on Thursday, 27 April 2023. You can access a number of related resources relating to employment issues and trends.