Skip to content
laws.sgby aturio
In forceAmended2020 Revised Edition
Contents

Part 9B · Offences Affecting Personal Data and Anonymised Information

48D. Unauthorised disclosure of personal data

Feedback & support
Amended

Last amended by an amending law of 2020.

(1)

If —

(a)

an individual discloses, or the individual’s conduct causes disclosure of, personal data in the possession or under the control of an organisation or a public agency to another person;

(b)

the disclosure is not authorised by the organisation or public agency, as the case may be; and

(c)

the individual does so —

(i)

knowing that the disclosure is not authorised by the organisation or public agency, as the case may be; or

(ii)

reckless as to whether the disclosure is or is not authorised by the organisation or public agency, as the case may be,the individual shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to both.

(2)

In proceedings for an offence under subsection (1), it is a defence to the charge for the accused to prove, on a balance of probabilities, any of the following:

(a)

that —

(i)

the personal data in the possession or under the control of the organisation or public agency (as the case may be) that was disclosed was, at the time of the disclosure, publicly available; and

(ii)

where the personal data was publicly available solely because of an applicable contravention, the accused did not know, and was not reckless as to whether, that was the case;

(b)

that the accused disclosed, or caused the disclosure of, personal data in the possession or under the control of the organisation or public agency, as the case may be —

(i)

as permitted or required by or under an Act or other law (apart from this Act);

(ii)

as authorised or required by an order of court;

(iii)

in the reasonable belief that, and was not reckless as to whether, the accused had the legal right to do so; or

(iv)

in any other circumstances, or for any other purpose, prescribed.

(3)

To avoid doubt, subsection (2) does not affect any obligation or limitation imposed on, or prohibition of, the disclosure of personal data in the possession or under the control of an organisation or a public agency (as the case may be) by or under any other written law or other law.

(4)

In this section, “applicable contravention” means a contravention of any of the following:

(a)

subsection (1);

(b)

section 48F(1);

(c)

section 7(1) or 8(1) of the Public Sector (Governance) Act 2018;

(d)

section 14A(1) or 14C(1) of the Monetary Authority of Singapore Act 1970.

Report

Read on from s 48E

Part 9C

Enforcement

Read on from Part 9C

Part 9D

Appeals

Read on from Part 9D

Part 10

General

Read on from Part 10

Schedules

Read on from Schedules