The Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) comes into force in Singapore tomorrow (Wednesday, July 2). Sharat Sinha – Vice President, Asia Pacific for Palo Alto Networks – shares his views on what this means for businesses in Singapore and how this relates to cybersecurity.

“Following the Singapore Government’s introduction of its five-year National Cybersecurity Masterplan last year, the introduction of PDPA will work to further strengthen Singapore’s position and reputation as a trusted, world-class hub for business,” says Sinha.
The PDPA (Personal Data Protection Act), which comes into force on Wednesday July 2, aims to safeguard individuals’ personal data against misuse by regulating its management by companies.
Palo Alto Network’s recent 2014 AUTR Report, highlights how threats to enterprise networks may be ‘hiding in plain sight’, gaining access to the networks via commonly used enterprise applications like Drop Box, Skype and Microsoft Exchange, to name a few.
The Act is based on the understanding that individuals have the right to be informed of the purposes for which organisations are collecting, using or disclosing their personal data, giving individuals more control over how their personal data is used.
It recognises both the rights of individuals to protect their personal data, including rights of access and correction, and the needs of organisations to collect, use or disclose personal data for legitimate and reasonable purposes.
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