CHAPTER 1 A Safer Cyberspace for Singapore and Singaporeans Why do we need a Safer Cyberspace Masterplan? The Singapore Government is committed to enable a Smart Nation and harness digital technology to stay ahead as a global city and to improve lives and livelihoods for all. As we embrace digital technology, it is apparent that the same technology provides malicious actors with new avenues to conduct their activities. “As the digital economy grows in scale and complexity, cybersecurity becomes of utmost importance to provide the much needed and requisite assurance and trust in digital technologies.” S Iswaran, Minister-in-charge of Cybersecurity, at the ASEAN Ministerial Conference on Cybersecurity 2019 In 2016, the Government launched the Singapore Cybersecurity Strategy with four Pillars: to build a resilient infrastructure, create a safer cyberspace, develop a vibrant cybersecurity ecosystem, and strengthen international partnerships. The Safer Cyberspace Masterplan builds on the 2016 Strategy to articulate a more detailed plan toward Pillar 2 — the Creation of a Safer Cyberspace in Singapore. This Masterplan aims to raise the general level of cybersecurity in Singapore, for individual users, communities, enterprises, and organisations. The Government has developed the key thrusts of the Masterplan in consultation with the cybersecurity industry and academia, and incorporated many of their useful ideas toward our collective purpose to create a Safer Cyberspace for Singapore and Singaporeans. While there may be some similarities with the measures that have been put in place for Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) designated under the Cybersecurity Act 2018 that support essential services, the Safer Cyberspace Masterplan seeks to address a different class of users and system owners from CIIs, and hence should be seen as separate from the CII regulatory regime. 6 SAFER CYBERSPACE MASTERPL AN 2020 7