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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/need-for-policy-reviews/2684948.html
SINGAPORE: There is a need to embark on policy reviews on the right to privacy, the encryption of communications, and freedom of expression amid the global fight against terror, said Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (Apr 11).
Dr Balakrishnan said these freedoms and rights needed to be balanced against the ability of national security agencies to be able to investigate, pursue leads to deter threats and aggression, and for appropriate political responses. He was speaking at the 10th Asia Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO) held at the Marina Mandarin Singapore.
"We actually live in a more unsettled world. Technology has amplified - not reduced - the threat of radicalism, extremism and it has, in fact, led to a phenomenon of a global threat," said Dr Balakrishnan.
"What goes on in cyberspace has real impact on the real world, and the sooner we get to grips with these difficult policy issues, the better. Because we need to get the balance right. We need to get politics right, and we need to get operational responses right."
The Minister described terrorism as the use of violence in pursuit of political objectives, with religion and ideology "merely as a vehicle or lever" to divide societies and incite hatred. This has been facilitated by technology and global communications, which has made everyone acutely aware of their differences and insecurities, he added.
"GET TO GRIPS WITH THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY"
Al Qaeda and its successors, such as Islamic State, have been able to capitalise on this through their mastery of new media, allowing them to communicate, persuade, inspire and mobilise on an international scale, the Minister said.
"It should not surprise us that it has led to a sharpening of exclusive identities and a reaffirmation of the temptation to resort to violence - both physical violence or even political violence - as people search and emphasise and reaffirm identities imagined or real," said Dr Balakrishnan.
"It behooves us, and all of you as national security practitioners, to get to grips with this new technology, insist on being best in class, work effectively together, and get the politicians and the people to have a serious discussion about getting the balance right, getting politics right, in order to ultimately secure the safety of our society."
Organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies' Centre of Excellence for National Security, this year's APPSNO explores issues of national security such as terrorism, rapid technological change, public communications and immigration among others.
Attended by more than 70 national security practitioners and scholars from 25 countries such as China, Chile, New Zealand and Norway, the event runs from Apr 11 to 15.
****
But he was against looking upskirts in bar top dancing.
SINGAPORE: There is a need to embark on policy reviews on the right to privacy, the encryption of communications, and freedom of expression amid the global fight against terror, said Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on Monday (Apr 11).
Dr Balakrishnan said these freedoms and rights needed to be balanced against the ability of national security agencies to be able to investigate, pursue leads to deter threats and aggression, and for appropriate political responses. He was speaking at the 10th Asia Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers (APPSNO) held at the Marina Mandarin Singapore.
"We actually live in a more unsettled world. Technology has amplified - not reduced - the threat of radicalism, extremism and it has, in fact, led to a phenomenon of a global threat," said Dr Balakrishnan.
"What goes on in cyberspace has real impact on the real world, and the sooner we get to grips with these difficult policy issues, the better. Because we need to get the balance right. We need to get politics right, and we need to get operational responses right."
The Minister described terrorism as the use of violence in pursuit of political objectives, with religion and ideology "merely as a vehicle or lever" to divide societies and incite hatred. This has been facilitated by technology and global communications, which has made everyone acutely aware of their differences and insecurities, he added.
"GET TO GRIPS WITH THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY"
Al Qaeda and its successors, such as Islamic State, have been able to capitalise on this through their mastery of new media, allowing them to communicate, persuade, inspire and mobilise on an international scale, the Minister said.
"It should not surprise us that it has led to a sharpening of exclusive identities and a reaffirmation of the temptation to resort to violence - both physical violence or even political violence - as people search and emphasise and reaffirm identities imagined or real," said Dr Balakrishnan.
"It behooves us, and all of you as national security practitioners, to get to grips with this new technology, insist on being best in class, work effectively together, and get the politicians and the people to have a serious discussion about getting the balance right, getting politics right, in order to ultimately secure the safety of our society."
Organised by the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies' Centre of Excellence for National Security, this year's APPSNO explores issues of national security such as terrorism, rapid technological change, public communications and immigration among others.
Attended by more than 70 national security practitioners and scholars from 25 countries such as China, Chile, New Zealand and Norway, the event runs from Apr 11 to 15.
****
But he was against looking upskirts in bar top dancing.
