SingPass Mobile App’s Biometric Security Features Offer a Glimpse of Future of Digital Exploration
Singaporeans can now access e-government services using a new app is which uses biometric scanning is available for Singaporeans. To do so, all they would have to do is scan using either their fingerprint or faces through their smartphones. Without relying on passwords, SingPass authentication just got a lot safer.
SingPass’s much anticipated mobile app and its latest biometric feature marks a milestone in Singapore’s Smart Nation ambitions. Singapore’s Government Technology Agency (GovTech) was the authority responsible for the development of the app. The SingPass mobile app is viewed as a key component of Singapore’s national digital identity framework which seeks to secure both e- government and private transactions.
The Benefits of SingPass New Feature
SingPass has 3.3 million users in Singapore, and this new feature offers its users a more convenient log in option which even benefits Singaporeans overseas, especially those who encounter problems using the OneKey token. The new biometric feature offers all sorts of conveniences, including secure digital signing for confidential business and legal documents. Other benefits include no longer the need to create complicated passwords which could be forgotten, and carrying the OneKey security token to access their Central Provident Fund accounts, file tax returns or pay parking fines are now a thing of the past.
The app’s biometric scanning system is a much more secure mechanism compared to the previous password authentication. It eliminates the problems of passwords being hacked or users forgetting the passwords. Prior to this, SingPass used to get approximately 150,000 requests from its users requesting a password reset, according to GovTech’s chief executive officer.
A QR code will also be built into SingPass’s mobile app. This code will carry the name, identity card number and other identification data which will allow users to drop the need to carry their NRIC with them. All they would need to do is scan the QR code for access to hospital appointments or entering secured buildings. This framework is being administered by Assurity Trusted Solutions, a GovTech subsidiary.
Government Imposes Strict Requirements For Its Critical Systems
Assurity Trusted Solutions acts as a trusted notary which issues digital certificates to SingPass’s mobile users, which allows all parties involved to know which valid users are involved in the transaction and what their digital signatures look like. Singapore’s Foreign Minister, who is also the Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative in the Prime Minister’s Office gave the assurance that the government imposes strict requirements for its critical systems.
SingPass’s mobile app certainly has ambitious targets which its needs to meet. To meet those targets, it needs to be robust, especially because Singapore’s NDI (National Digital Identity), SingPass and SingPass mobile app are all linked. Any bugs in one system will surely affect the other.
Singapore is new at the digital space exploration, but it is certainly on the right track. The bumps along the way, however, must be navigated quickly.
