At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Singaporeans were anxious to learn the daily figures of new infections reported.
Sometimes, you may have even heard people casually asking each other, “How many do you think there’ll be today? 500?”
Despite our eagerness, most of us wouldn’t break the law just so we can get the information early.
Unfortunately, a 36-year-old woman was charged on Wednesday (14 Apr) for leaking the daily Covid-19 numbers to unauthorised personnel in a private group chat.
She was a former staff with the Ministry of Health (MOH).
According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the 36-year-old served as the deputy lead of the Data Management Unit at MOH. Hence, she was given authorised access to the confidential information.
Her LinkedIn profile shows that she had worked as a statistician with MOH since 2012.
However, on 22 occasions, the lady was found to have leaked the daily number Covid-19 numbers to a private WeChat group, before MOH officially released the figures.
The leaks reportedly happened from Mar-Apr last year, reports CNA.
In addition, she was found to have accessed information regarding a Covid-19 patient when a friend asked her to do so.
The MOH staff was suspended on 24 Apr 2020 for leaking the numbers and accessing information without proper authorisation.
She was also arrested under the Official Secrets Act (OSA) and Computer Misuse Act.
On Wednesday (14 Apr), the lady was charged in court for the offences, and faces 24 charges, reports The Straits Times.
If found guilty of wrongful communication of information under the OSA, the suspect faces a fine of up to $2,000 or a jail term of up to 2 years.
She also faces a fine of up to $5,000, and up to 2 years’ jail if she’s convicted of accessing computer material with unauthorised access — an offence under the Computer Misuse Act.
64 other individuals who had received or forwarded the information will be issued “stern” warnings or advisories.
The unauthorised spread of information can lead to unnecessary panic and anxiety among the public, especially given the volatile times we’re living in.
We’re glad MOH and the relevant authorities take a serious view of this information leak. Hopefully, such actions are effective in deterring others from committing the same crime.
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Featured image adapted from Unsplash and MOH.
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