
Singapore Is Taking the ‘Smart City’ to a New Level - jwblackwell
http://www.wsj.com/articles/singapore-is-taking-the-smart-city-to-a-whole-new-level-1461550026
======
rfreytag
> “The big, big elephant in the room is protection of privacy and ensuring
> security,” says Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s foreign affairs minister
> and minister-in-charge of Smart Nation.

The idea that Singapore will protect the privacy of its citizens (or their
access to information) is not credible in light of:

* [http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2013/06/regulating-sin...](http://www.economist.com/blogs/banyan/2013/06/regulating-singapores-internet)

and

* [https://sg.news.yahoo.com/-smart-nation--singapore-will-be-w...](https://sg.news.yahoo.com/-smart-nation--singapore-will-be-watching-you-105712193.html)

The ruling party uses power to eliminate opposition:

* [http://www.csmonitor.com/1990/0731/eross.html](http://www.csmonitor.com/1990/0731/eross.html)

and

* [https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-33363045/suppression-i...](https://www.questia.com/newspaper/1P2-33363045/suppression-in-singapore-the-government-restricts)

Many, many other examples can be found with minimal searching.

~~~
toni
Also a recent must-see documentary about Singapore repressive ruling party is
Jason Soo's "1987: Untracing the Conspiracy"[1]

[1] [http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2016/04/interview-jason-
soo-...](http://www.theonlinecitizen.com/2016/04/interview-jason-soo-
director-1987-untracing-conspiracy/)

"In 1987, 22 people were arrested under Singapore’s Internal Security Act
(ISA) in a security exercise known as Operation Spectrum.

Accused of being involved in a Marxist conspiracy to establish a communist
state, many detainees were tortured and then coerced into implicating
themselves and their friends on public television."

~~~
marcosdumay
> Accused of being involved in a Marxist conspiracy to establish a communist
> state, many detainees were tortured and then coerced into implicating
> themselves and their friends on public television.

Wow! Stalinist tactics against Marxism.

~~~
eudox
And Singapore shows how much you can accomplish when Marxists are removed from
society.

~~~
creamyhorror
The pendulum has already swung back somewhat: Since the '00s, the ruling party
has been quietly ramping up the social safety net (various subsidy programs
for the low-income), implemented universal healthcare to an extent (keeping
health insurance costs low), and focused a lot on aiding older unemployed
citizens (wage subsidies, retraining, upgrading). Government departments focus
more on "customer service" and have a "no wrong door" policy.

It's been a gradual moderation since the '90s and before, when things were
more uptight and anti-welfare-state. I remember the "OB markers", stuff that
was out-of-bounds for public discussion - much of those have been eroded by
blogs, forums & social media. So, not Marxism, just a shift away from pure
capitalism and authoritarianism.

~~~
SamReidHughes
Even its "pure capitalism" has had a lot of public housing projects, right
from the get-go. (And stuff we take for granted like public education.) I
think its policies can be derived more from a "no passengers" ethos and the
need to react to present living standards and their growth rate.

------
hellofunk
>allows the government to monitor ... the precise movement of every locally
registered vehicle.

Okay, wow. But..

>The project appears to be popular in Singapore, where faith in the government
is high and citizens have accepted limits on behavior, including restrictions
on public speech and the press, in return for a more efficient state.

Now it is clear that this article is deeply biased, or maybe just ignorant. I
lived in Singapore for several years and am still closely in touch with my
community there. I have never heard a single Singaporean show strong
confidence or trust in their government, and the lack of free speech is not
insignificant to many.

I'm sure several Singaporeans will show up here to tell me I'm mistaken, but
the reality is that there is strong suspicion among many as to the motives of
the government, but most can't say too much about it publicly because of the
punishment imposed.

~~~
mediumdeviation
> I have never heard a single Singaporean show strong confidence or trust in
> their government

In the last general election the ruling People's Action Party was voted in
with a 70% popular vote.

> and the lack of free speech is not insignificant to many

It is not insignificant to many, but it's also not a major issue to most,
again not at least if you look at the elections. I should mention at this
point that I don't look upon the ruling party favorably. But these are the
facts.

> but most can't say too much about it publicly because of the punishment
> imposed.

[citation needed]. The government doesn't take too kindly to certain types of
speech, but critiques of its policies are generally not suppressed, and
certainly not to the degree which you make it out to be (people fearing
punishment for expression opinion out loud? Really?)

I'm going to say that I don't have too much doubts about the government's
motives, but rather its competency - the government, like most governments
doesn't have the best track records in terms of its IT infrastructure, and a
breech into a system that collects that much data will be incredibly damaging.

~~~
hellofunk
I don't think it is fair to discuss voting and democracy in the context of a
nation that has been run by a single family for almost its entire history. A
family, incidentally, that is profiting handsomely from the policies it
imposes on its citizens.

~~~
eudox
>A family, incidentally, that is profiting handsomely from the policies it
imposes on its citizens.

Singapore has a higher GDP per capita than the United States, and every
Western country for that matter. Poverty is rare and the tax burder is low.
Why would I resent the Prime Minister's pay if the country is prosperous and
the government is efficient and effective?

~~~
adamt
Singapore has a very impressive GDP per capita, but it is massively skewed by
external investment (with money that often flows straight back out of the
country again), construction and being a major regional hub.

To say Singapore has a higher GDP than any Western country isn't quite a fair
comparison. For contrast, the GDP per capita in London (pop 8.5M) which
benefits similarly form being a regional hub has a GDP per capita of $73k [1]
vs about $55k in Singapore (pop 5.4M) [2].

For a different picture try looking at a figure that looks at household
wealth, e.g. household final consumption per capital. These numbers are less
skewed by external investment and look at the real purchasing power of average
people.

On these figures (US$) taken from:
[http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.PRVT.PC.KD](http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.CON.PRVT.PC.KD)

Singapore: $12,355 Switzerland $33,284 USA: $31,469 UK: $25,828 Germany:
$21,769

By this metric Singapore is far behind most Western economies and is in the
same basket as Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Portugal.

Don't get me wrong, the progress that has been made in Singapore is amazing. I
just think it is far too easy to be dazzled by high GDP figures, and miss out
on the bigger picture.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_areas_in_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_metropolitan_areas_in_the_European_Union_by_GDP)
[2]
[http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD](http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD)

~~~
eudox
>By this metric Singapore is far behind most Western economies and is in the
same basket as Spain, Greece, Slovenia, Portugal.

Thanks for showing me the numbers in a different light. Updated.

>I just think it is far too easy to be dazzled by high GDP figures, and miss
out on the bigger picture.

This is true, but then again, part of the bigger picture is the country is run
by very visibly smart and competent people.

------
ripitrust
Out of all the criticisms of Singapore, the most mentioned is the lack of free
speech/media. But if you have lived in Singapore for a while you will probably
find that this is not the case. It does not even affect most people's life in
a tiny bit (unless you are into politics). And certainly Singapore is not 1984
stuff. People are really happy here.

Based on my reading of some books from Lee Kuan Yew, the reason he did not
allow total free media and speech was that he was very much concerned about
the stability of the nation, and as such a small country, Singapore really
can't afford any civil conflicts (it had suffered one before
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_race_riots_of_Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_race_riots_of_Singapore)
and recently
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Little_India_riot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Little_India_riot))

Besides that, some of the "free speech" online are actually either falsified
or in very explicit languages specifically targeted at raising culture hatred,
and hatred towards foreign immigrants. They are not targeted at solving
problems

Somehow, the reason that keeps people leaving Singapore is not the lack of
free speech, but something else. Most of my foreign friends from University
had left Singapore, either to US or China. For them, the biggest problem seems
to be high living cost, no space for personal development and no job
satisfaction. How to retain these talents may be a bigger issue here

~~~
nitrogen
_...unless you are into politics..._

I have nothing against Singapore, but that's kind of the whole point of free
speech -- the ability to discuss all ideas that can alter society.

I suppose a society where those in charge are all benevolent could get by
without it for a long time, but eventually I would expect a disconnect between
the perceptions of the government and the needs of the people that can
scarcely be solved with free speech, but almost certainly not without it.

Since I'm just reasoning aboit generalizations, I'll ask, how does Singapore
work around this problem?

~~~
djsumdog
I was in Singapore in 2015 and stumbled upon a gay pride rally. IIRC it was a
group called _The Pink Dot_ and they had a park filled with hundreds of people
wearing pink shirts. The pamphlets said this was legal for Singaporeans (non-
residents could watch but were technically banned from participation :-P)

Things are changing there slowly. They do technically censor their Internet
(it's illegal to view porn, but if you stumble on it without downloading it,
that's legal...or something). I think they gave up on their porn filter years
ago. Their level of censorship is way below the level of the UK!

With all that said, the nation is highly progressive in other areas. All the
trains are fully automated, no drivers. They can run 24/7\. Cars are
exceedingly expensive. A permit for buying a car is done on a bidding system
and the Certificate of Entitlement (COE) can run between $50k ~ $70k (that's
not including the cost of the car or registration). This keeps pollution, smog
and emissions down to a minimum. (The COEs are only good for 10 years. A used
5 year extension costs the same as a new car COE, so most ditch their cars
after 10 years. It does create an insane amount of consumerism/waste though ..
Singapore is the largest car exporter in the world).

I suggest visiting and spending two weeks there. The Adler Lunary Hostel is
reall nice and central. It's a really interesting place.

------
discordance
This type of system reinforces what William Gibson so vividly described in his
essay, 'Disneyland with a Death Sentence' [1], published in Wired more than 20
years ago

[1]
[https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland_with_the_Death_Pe...](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland_with_the_Death_Penalty)

~~~
Gigablah
Whenever Singapore is mentioned, most commentators can only come up with the
same three responses:

1\. Chewing gum

2\. Caning

3\. William Gibson

Frankly, if I wanted Disneyland with the death sentence, I'd go to California.

~~~
adventured
Except California doesn't execute people any longer. It has been a decade
since the last and I wouldn't hold your breath on the next. Singapore _has_
executed people in that time.

There are a few more responses I commonly see about Singapore:

4\. Political dictatorship

5\. Lack of freedom of speech

6\. Lack of press freedom, government controlled press

7\. Capital punishment, including executions by hanging

8\. Socially very regressive

~~~
ulfw
What about Florida?

Or does that not count because it's "Disney World"?

------
okket
To put things in perspective.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Singapore](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_in_Singapore)

~~~
pavs
I don't think this article is about how perfect Singapore is, if you try hard
enough I am sure you will find ridiculous rules, laws and human rights
violations any country has.

~~~
hellofunk
You are right, however Singapore is a special case. It has grown from third-
word status to extraordinary economic impact in just 50 years, a trajectory
not seen by nearly any other society in history, but its growth has been very
unbalanced. It's primary growing pain has been a disconnect between its
economic success and old-world policies that are no better than many other
still-developing countries and failed to grow alongside its economy. It caught
up quickly to the rest of the developed world in economic ways, but still lags
deeply far behind in many other ways.

~~~
valvar
This is a very culturally biased statement. Our current western culture is
very 'progressive' (in the ideological sense), and we generally view such an
approach as a sign of 'lagging behind'. If you ask a Singaporean, though,
their priors are likely to be different and they may disagree - and probably
not because they have failed to comprehend or 'catch up with' our western
mindset and its underpinnings. I don't generally consider myself a relativist,
but I find this sort of approach to these issues to be overly simplistic.

~~~
hellofunk
In rereading my comment, you are right that my wording is a bit unfair. But my
general feeling is that human civilization generally does make progress in
ways beyond the economic, and most societies grow in a balance way across the
spectrum, while Singapore has leapt dramatically in one way while not changing
in another, and this has created (in my opinion) some contradictions within
its society, not the least of which is lack of free speech. It may seem
trivial on the surface that someone can't boldly criticize a government
policy, but this has effects that go much deeper than the actual "problem"
such a policy tries to address.

------
mapleoin
This sounds like a solution in search of a problem, just with the budget and
resources of an entire government. It sounds like someone made a contract for
some new surveillance devices and are now looking for ways to deploy them.

 _Yet the government also says it isn’t certain what kinds of applications
might be possible once the system is built, and hasn’t decided where all the
sensors will be located_

So they're building something and _then_ they're going to find a use for it.

~~~
jfoster
Or there is a use in mind, but announcing it all at once would yield more
backlash than they're aiming for.

I'm supportive of high levels of surveillance in public areas, but recognise
that introducing it more gradually makes it more palatable.

------
known
How Singapore prevented the formation of racial enclaves and promote ethnic
integration?

[http://qz.com/436056/singapores-forced-housing-
integration-f...](http://qz.com/436056/singapores-forced-housing-integration-
fueled-its-economic-success/)

~~~
3dk
Singapore had race riots in the 70s due to the formation of ghettos. I think
their housing policy is a reasonable response. I like how they don't care
about being political correct to conform to western ideals, but do what works.

------
kifler
Many are likely to hail this as some sort of ushering in of a new age while
simultaneously preach about the FBI cracking an iPhone - interesting to see
where this ends up.

~~~
omk
>> Singapore is deploying an undetermined number of sensors and cameras across
the island city-state that will allow the government to monitor everything
from the cleanliness of public spaces to the density of crowds and the precise
movement of every locally registered vehicle.

>> It is a sweeping effort that will likely touch the lives of every single
resident in the country, in ways that aren’t completely clear since many
potential applications may not be known until the system is fully implemented.

Wow. Will be good to see where this goes with so much uncertainty with what
they will do with the data.

~~~
pythondz
>> The government also plans to share data, in some cases, with the private
sector.

Ouch!

We're in 2016 and Ghost in the shell story take place around 2030. Sound like
Masamune Shirow's book will be the George Orwell's book of our generation...

------
islon
Alternate title/tl;dr: "Singapore Is Taking the ‘Smart City’ to a Whole New
Orwellian Level"

~~~
jfoster
There's plenty of places that are more private. What's wrong with having a few
where you trade privacy for some potential upsides? So long as people are free
to leave if they please, I think it's good to have varied options.

------
valvar
Of course it's frightening. But it's frightening in an exhilarating sort of
way. I am sure that most of us would love to get our hands on that type of
data, and the tools to work with it. And the benefits can't be denied - it's
not mainly for security, which is the main argument for selling surveillance
to us here in the west, but optimization. Of everything (security, too, of
course, as mentioned in the article- but terrorists are only tangential). And
it's a trade-off - if it's worth it remains to be seen, and the answer will
probably always depend on who you ask. Personally I haven't really made up my
mind yet.

------
20andup
I can think of a Ghost in a Shell future in Singapore.

------
mark_l_watson
I just got back from a 2 week business trip to Singapore, and I loved it
there. Everyone was friendly and helpful (if they spoke English) and the vibe
of the place was good. People seemed really proud of their country and they
should be given how far they have come since their area was horribly affected
by the Second World War.

Public data like that for mass transit is available for use so perhaps some of
this new data will also be publicly available?

My impression of Singapore was so positive that I could easily live there.

------
tehabe
Singapore is weird to me. It is fostering a multiethnic society and put this
even above the freedom of speech and the ruling party officially rejects the
idea of a liberal democracy, with quotes from its leaders which sounds like
libel for the people of Singapore.

Also, the PAP is ruling the country for almost 60 years now, the first prime
minister was in office from 1957 to 1991. Usually this goes with corruption,
maybe not the open and direct one but basically if you want to change anything
in the country you have to talk with the PAP. You could call it a monopoly or
corruption or both. Especially since there is no real opposition. I think one
president got elected simply because no other candidate was considered
eligible for the office. (I'm still wondering how he could have become
president, if he agreed to this system)

And I don't even have the space to talk about the capital punishment in
Singapore, which seemed to me like that life is worthless there.

And such a regime gets access to a vast array of sensors throughout the
country. With nothing stopping or controlling it. For example, what could such
a system do if you start a public protest or a strike or a rally for
something.

------
jerryhuang100
it's 1984 in the disguise of "smart city". it's much easier for the gov of
Singapore to collect fines by ticketing smoking violations (smoke detector) or
littering (motion detector), with cross-referencing your mobile phone meta-
data. This could even be done by a bot, without a policeman even presented.
it's much easier for the Sg gov to monitor opposition parties for illegal
assembly of more than five people under its penal code. if someone tried to
argue that giving away partial freedom to feel safe at night, try solitary
confinement.

------
BatFastard
Looks like the perfect setup for big brother. Not that they are not already on
that road. I am all for benevolent dictatorships, it's when they turn non-
benevolent that I am worried about.

------
shade23
>The centerpiece of Singapore’s effort is a kind of digital crystal ball that
acts as a superpowered, X-ray version of Google Maps.

Does this not remind you of Sauron's Eye?

~~~
dragonbonheur
It only reminds me of Monaco, which does essentially the same thing while no
Westerners are bothered by its level of surveillance. But when it's about
Asians though, everybody goes bonkers.

~~~
koenigdavidmj
Monaco doesn't hang you for a bit of weed.

------
Animats
So what is all that data good for? The article even says it's a "build it and
they will come" project.

It would be interesting to have a "smart city" project which simply mounted a
camera ring on city vehicles and inspected the visible infrastructure daily.
Pothole? Missing sign? Puddle that doesn't drain? Street light out? Graffiti?
Recognize those and generate trouble tickets for them.

------
nxzero
Singapore's Open Data Portal: [http://data.gov.sg/](http://data.gov.sg/)

------
visakanv
Singaporean here. Some thoughts:

1\. The people I talk to don't really care about privacy in the abstract
sense. I mean, nobody wants to be filmed or recorded, but I think we all
assume that the metadata is everywhere. We more or less assume that even the
American NSA probably has data about everything we do. Eh. It's a small, tiny
cramped city. You can't hide anything.

2\. In my opinion, it's totally possible to criticize the Governement and its
policies. I've done this multiple times, and have friends who have done the
same. (My Facebook cover photo is still a picture of me onstage at a protest,
lol: [http://www.facebook.com/visakanv/](http://www.facebook.com/visakanv/))
It doesn't get a lot of attention from the international public because we
take the trouble to be nuanced about the points that we make (rather than
accuse the Government of being corrupt, which is typically gets what people
sued.) Singapore's satire muscle is still a little weak, I'll give you that.
Give us some time, we've only been a nation for 50 years. (You know who it
DOES get attention from, though? The Government! The civil service! They're
actually serious about making Singapore a better place for their grandkids,
and they're eager to listen to our perspectives.)

3\. Re "Singapore is ridiculously expensive" – eh. I'm an average marketing
guy at a software company. I earn enough to pay for the HDB that I own,
support my wife and two cats, and have some nice things on top of that. It's
not that ridiculous. I'm pretty comfortable.

4\. Neuromancer was a pretty nice read. Disneyland with the Death Penalty, on
the other hand, is an odd bit of fetishizing. I wish we could read American
authors write about how dystopian AMERICA is, where the tree of liberty has to
be watered from time to time with the blood of innocent children, and where
black parents have to teach their children to be afraid of the police.
(Neither of those things would be tolerated in Singapore– and I'm not talking
about the State, I'm talking about the PEOPLE.)

5\. The state is made up of people. Of civil servants, who are our brothers,
sisters, cousins, uncles. Singapore is a tiny-ass place. In that regard, I get
the sense that Singapore can't ever be as 'dystopian' as the US or China. I'm
not being very articulate here, but consider Nassim Taleb's argument in
Antifragile about cities vs countries. Singapore is a city.

6\. Fun fact: The PM's sister made a bunch of accusations a while ago. She
wasn't suppressed or arrested or anything of the sort. People joked that "only
when your sister accuses you of abusing your power do you realize that there's
a way of solving conflicts without suing for defamation" –
[http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/lee-wei-
ling-s...](http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/lee-wei-
ling-s/2683042.html)

Singaporeans aren't glassy-eyed automatons who tremble with feat under the
subjugation of their state. We're people who laugh and cry and joke and bitch
and get by. We have things that we're proud of, and things that we're critical
of. Somehow that never seems to come through in the comments sections
discussing these articles. It's either "Singapore is horribly oppressive" or
"Singapore is pristine and clean, tho kinda sterile" or some shit like that.
JFC. Sigh.

------
codeplay
No more electronic road pricing gantries, every car's position will be tracked
via gps in real time

------
codeplay
No more electronic road pricing gantries, every car's position will be tracked
via gps

------
perseusprime11
Singapore is a country. Why is not taking a 'Smart Country' approach?

------
kbart
G. Orwell must be proud..

------
grillvogel
sure as long as you dont mind total government censorship of all media

------
finalight
even though i'm a singaporean here, i have no comments about that article

it's just...meh

~~~
philliphaydon
I'm not singaporean, but do live in Singapore. If I was in any other country I
would probably be bothered, but in Singapore I just don't care. I feel safe
here, love this country. But I have noticed over the last 4 years, a lot more
tourists are littering, so if this helps prevent it, I'm all for it.

~~~
mapleoin
> a lot more tourists are littering, so if this helps prevent it, I'm all for
> it.

This sounds like a great beginning to a dystopian novel. _We who gave up our
privacy and control over our life to the All Seeing All Knowing State to stop
tourists from littering._

~~~
philliphaydon
You ever been to Singapore?

~~~
EliRivers
I have. A beer was really expensive, but a return flight to Manila for a
weekend drinking bender was cheaper overall than staying in Singapore to
drink.

I was a little disturbed by how prevalent domestic servants were, but they
were almost entirely not Singaporean citizens. I suppose it's more a mark of
how poor the surrounding countries are rather than anything wrong with
Singapore.

~~~
philliphaydon
I pretty much don't drink anymore since moving here. But it does help. Binge
drinking in Australia/NZ is out of control. :/

~~~
nazgob
Same here but its Sweden ;)

------
NurAzhar
I'm a malay native and the government discriminate us or atleast feel
discriminated or perhaps under represented.. And I'm using my real name

