App stores to screen age of Singapore users to block kids from accessing apps for adults

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app stores must block young users below 18 years old from downloading apps not meant for their age group, including dating app Tinder and adult video games like Grand Theft Auto.

Under the new Code of Practice for Online Safety for App Distribution Services, app stores targeting users in Singapore must also block children below 12 from downloading apps like Instagram and TikTok, which are rated for ages 12 and above.

App stores are also responsible for monitoring app content, ....This ensures harmful materials such as sexual or violent content and content related to cyber bullying, self-harm and vice, among others, are kept out of reach of children.

use of artificial intelligence, machine learning or facial scans – which it said have “significantly evolved” – to allow for age assurance measures to be implemented effectively. Facial screening technology has been increasingly deployed in apps such as Instagram ... requiring users to take real-time footage of their face, which is analysed by an age verification tech company...Alternatively, platforms can also rely on verified sources of identification, like a digital ID or credit card, to determine the age of a user

Qns:

1. ‘Profits without accountability.’ To what extent is this accurate of corporations today? (DHS Prelim 2024)

2. To what extent does the government have the right to monitor what people do online? (MI Prelim 2024)

Forum: LGBTQ+ workers left behind again in new legislation

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The Workplace Fairness Legislation (WFL) passed on Jan 8 marks an important step against work-related discrimination in Singapore. Yet, the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ+) community were conspicuously shunted to the margins

Pink Dot’s own research with Milieu Insight found that seven in 10 LGBTQ+ Singaporeans face work-related discrimination.

the new anti-discrimination law itself discriminates, by offering protections to other marginalised groups but leaving LGBTQ+ Singaporeans behind.

For issues on discrimination and inclusiveness....

Qn: Assess the view that it is always right to challenge injustice. (Cam. 2024)

Chinese travellers shun Thailand after actor’s abduction

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Qn: ‘There is no such thing as bad publicity.’ To what extent is this true? (Cam. 2015)

Inside Mark Zuckerberg’s sprint to remake Meta for the Trump era

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overhauling speech on its apps by loosening restrictions on how people can talk about contentious social issues such as immigration, gender and sexuality. It killed its fact-checking programme that had been aimed at curbing misinformation and said it would instead rely on users to police falsehoods. And it said it would insert more political content into people’s feeds after previously de-emphasising that very material.

Meta’s makeover continued when the company told employees it would end its work on diversity, equity and inclusion. It eliminated its chief diversity officer role, ended its diversity hiring goals that called for the employment of a certain number of women and minorities, and said it would no longer prioritise minority-owned businesses when hiring vendors.

Meta loosened rules so people could post statements saying they hated people of certain races, religions or sexual orientations, including permitting “allegations of mental illness or abnormality when based on gender or sexual orientation”.

facilities managers were instructed to remove tampons from men’s bathrooms, which the company had provided for non-binary and transgender employees who use the men’s room and who may have required sanitary pads

at least one person announced their resignation as others privately relayed to one another that they planned to look for jobs elsewhere

Qn: How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

Invisible barriers prevent S’pore women from joining AI boom

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subtle prejudice that assumes technical roles are more suited to men

under-representation of women in Stem is a challenge for Singapore, as it limits the talent pool available for the rapidly growing sector, impacting all industries

this imbalance risks perpetuating gender biases in the development of AI solutions...some medical science was initially based only on research done on men...Future products or applications from AI or machine learning may not be able to cater to women if the technology is not designed for the entire population from the beginning

For qns on gender discrimination...

Qns:

1. Consider the view that some careers are better suited to one gender than the other. (Cam. 2014)

2. How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

S’pore must manage new arrivals with utmost caution, but also stand firm against nativism: SM Lee

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Singapore relies heavily on immigrants and foreign workers – who raise political sensitivities in many societies – to top up its population base and talent pool

But we must also stand firmly against nativism and xenophobia, and welcome the new arrivals to become part of our extended family

The Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (Ceca) with India has helped to foster extensive trade, investment, and travel links between the countries...Many Indian companies have set up in Singapore to serve the region, while many local Indian businesses have successfully forayed into the Indian market

Qn: How far do you agree that efforts to promote inclusiveness do more harm than good? (RI Prelim 2024)

Biden blasts ‘shameful’ Meta decision to scrap US fact-checking

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For qns on Big Tech's responsibility and censorship....

Don’t shield students from screens, but teach them to use devices purposefully: Chan Chun Sing

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Singapore does not take a binary view of device usage

the study showed that unsupervised consumption of videos for more than two hours could result in a drop in IQ by the time a child turns seven years old. For teenagers, he said the greatest concerns are video-gaming and how social media can affect self-worth and lead to incessant comparisons with others.

It’s a bit like discovering fire… Fire can be both good and bad. If you don’t know how to use it, you burn down everything. Use it properly, and you can use it to cook and generate electricity

the Ministry of Education is clear that pupils in primary schools will not be issued their own personal learning devices. Instead, they will use shared devices available in school.

Whaling v whale-watching: Will Iceland ever stop the hunt

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Taliban leader bans windows overlooking areas used by women in neighbouring homes

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order banning the construction of windows in residential buildings that overlook areas used by Afghan women and saying that existing ones should be blocked.....Seeing women working in kitchens, in courtyards or collecting water from wells can lead to obscene acts.

Since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021, women have been progressively erased from public spaces, prompting the UN to denounce the “gender apartheid” the administration has established

Taliban authorities have banned post-primary education for girls and women, restricted employment and blocked access to parks and other public places. A recent law even prohibits women from singing or reciting poetry in public under the Taliban government’s ultra-strict application of Islamic law. It also encourages them to “veil” their voices and bodies outside the home.

For qns on gender issues....

Mental health one of the top reasons primary school kids called helpline in 2023

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Mental health-related concerns among these children – mainly aged 13 and below – include self-image struggles and emotional distress that presents as fear, anger, anxiety and low moods.

The Tinkle Friend helpline...for primary school children who needed a listening ear. An online chat service was added in 2014 amid the growing usage of digital devices.

Underlying the chit-chat is also a sense of loneliness where the children have no one else that they can turn to and a desire for connection

Qns:  

1. ‘Education today should involve more than the study of academic subjects.’ How far do you agree? (Cam. 2024)

2. To what extent is the focus on efficiency desirable in your society? (NYJC Promos 2024)