News

19 December 2024

1. SINGAPORE – In a press conference today, ACRA CEO Mrs. Chia-Tern Huey Min apologised for the recent incident where full NRIC numbers were inadvertently disclosed on the Bizfile portal.
2. Mrs. Chia-Tern acknowledged the public anxiety and concern caused by this incident and reiterated ACRA’s crucial role in fostering a transparent and trustworthy business environment in Singapore.
3. “As Singapore’s national business registry, ACRA plays a vital role in maintaining transparency within our business ecosystem,” she stated. “We achieve this by establishing and maintaining a comprehensive repository of information on businesses and their associated individuals. This data enables thorough due diligence checks by businesses, service professionals, and other stakeholders, thereby mitigating risks and promoting a healthy business environment.”
4. The Bizfile portal, a key resource for businesses, allows public searches on company information such as names, UENs, and details of directors and shareholders. This information empowers businesses and individuals to conduct thorough due diligence on their counterparties, making informed decisions and mitigating potential risks.
5. Mrs. Chia-Tern highlighted the importance of Bizfile in board director appointments. “Companies considering appointing a new director can effectively leverage the Bizfile portal to investigate the individual’s affiliations with other entities,” she explained. “This due diligence process can uncover potential conflicts of interest, reveal past bankruptcies, and assess the individual’s track record with other companies. These insights, while crucial for informed decision-making, may be sensitive or difficult to obtain directly from the individual.”

Disclosure of NRIC numbers on Bizfile portal

6. Mrs. Chia-Tern stated that the Bizfile portal incorporates a “People Search” function to allow users to identify individuals of interest before conducting paid searches for associated companies. Previously, public searches displayed masked NRIC numbers. However, during a recent update, the portal mistakenly displayed full NRIC numbers.

7. This error, Mrs. Chia-Tern explained, stemmed from a government-wide directive issued by the Ministry of Digital and Intelligence (MDI). This directive aimed to establish NRIC numbers as the definitive unique identifier for individuals and instructed all government agencies to discontinue the use of masked NRIC numbers in new services.

8. “Regrettably, a lapse in inter-agency coordination occurred during the implementation of this directive,” Mrs. Chia-Tern said. “Consequently, ACRA proceeded with the incorrect assumption that it was required to unmask NRIC numbers within the newly updated Bizfile portal.”

9. Mrs. Chia-Tern acknowledged that this was a significant error and sincerely apologized for the distress and confusion it caused the public. “As the custodian of the Bizfile portal, ACRA should have exercised greater sensitivity to the fact that many Singaporeans consider their NRIC numbers as private and confidential information,” she stated.

10. ACRA has since disabled the People Search function and is working to restore a revised service that addresses public concerns regarding data privacy while maintaining the legitimate needs of users for access to critical business information.

If your company needs help filing taxes for the year 2024, or requires assistance with Singapore incorporation, economy, banking, etc., feel free to call/WhatsApp us at +65 90612851 or email us at aceglobalacct@gmail.com. Alternatively, you may leave us a reply using our contact form below.

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