Singaporeans can now access digital government services and many private sector services using facial recognition. The government of Singapore has recently updated the digital identity system to incorporate a cloud facial recognition technology in order to provide safer and smoother services for citizens while they complete their transactions online. This technology has a high level of accuracy, as tests conducted by the government show that the system cannot be tricked with photographs, masks, or fake videos.
The government of Singapore recently halted access to digital government services using OneKey, a small calculator-like device distributed by the government to Singapore’s citizens and permanent residents in 2015. OneKey issues a series of numbers used by citizens as a One-Time Password (OTP) to verify their identity while using government services. This device was no longer adopted as its usage declined, with the vast majority of Singaporeans preferring OTP. The government in Singapore has adopted an alternative way to authenticate users using a cloud facial recognition technology integrated into Singapore’s SingPass, which is used by four million citizens and residents and aims at providing a secure and easy platform to access more than 1,400 government services.
In order to improve the quality of digital life for citizens, the government launched the SingPass Mobile application and encouraged customers to download it to track their digital transactions. The app allows users to access hundreds of services provided by the government, semi-government, and private institutions, as well as allows them to authenticate their identity in government institutions, or even sign documents digitally. The number of SingPass users has reached 2.5 million users so far. The government has used this app as a platform to integrate cloud technology for facial recognition. This feature has become one of the methods used to verify the identity of customers in the system that authenticates identity through two consecutive methods or the so-called Two-Factor Authentication (2FA).
The project organizers are aware that facial recognition is still relatively modern and many citizens may resist this technology, especially at first. Therefore, the government made sure to include this feature among several others that can be used to authenticate the user’s identity. In addition to facial scanning, SingPass allows authentication through fingerprint, a 6-digit passcode, or OTP via SMS.
In this initiative, Singapore is committed to raising public awareness about the new facial recognition feature, as it announced to its citizens through government communication channels that this feature takes into account user privacy because it requires the user’s explicit consent before proceeding with facial scanning, unlike some applications that use biometrics, such as surveillance cameras. Moreover, the new system confirms that the photos collected during facial verification are only retained for 30 days, and no personal data will be shared with private sector entities which provide their services through the SingPass app. These entities only receive the result of the facial scanning after the images are verified against the government’s biometric database. This technology has also demonstrated a high level of security, as it proved it can identify forgery and impersonation attempts that rely on photographic images, masks, or fake videos.
As to reaching customers with no mobile phones, facial recognition is being piloted in special kiosks in some public departments. Citizens can also use SingPass to log in to certain private sector services, such as banking and insurance. Other features can be leveraged through the system, such as digital signatures and remote authorization to complete transactions. The last feature is one way the government has adopted to address the challenges resulting from the lack of digital skills required to use the app, especially among the elderly. For example, through the remote authorization feature, the elderly parent can choose to link their account to the phone number of one of their children, in compliance with specific safety measures ensuring that both parties are aware of the terms of use to help them complete their government transactions. Consequently, a son or daughter receives a short text message with an OTP when the parent uses SingPass.
This app is a successful innovation that can shed light on future facial scanning apps and study their results and challenges, as they are an important turning point in facial verification technologies in Singapore, especially after making great progress in recent years and being provided with high levels of security and low cost. In the future, Singapore plans to explore the possibility of applying facial recognition in other areas, such as enabling students to prove their presence and identity when taking exams and allowing organizations to verify user identity.
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