HIGH LEVEL ADVISORY COUNCIL WILL STUDY IMPLICATIONS OF IDM SECTOR

A new Council, The Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS), will be formed on 1 April 2007 by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA), to study the far-reaching social, ethical, legal and regulatory implications of a rapidly growing Interactive and Digital Media (IDM) sector. It will also make recommendations to the government on how these issues should be managed while keeping pace with the development of IDM in Singapore.

2 The formation of this Council was first announced in Parliament on 3 March 07.

3 The AIMS will be chaired by Mr Cheong Yip Seng, who recently retired as Editor-in-Chief of the English and Malay Newspaper Division at Singapore Press Holdings. Throughout his long distinguished career as a journalist, Mr Cheong has developed a deep understanding of the multi-racial, multi-religious make-up of Singapore as well as the rapidly changing media landscape.

4 The Deputy Chairman is Professor Tan Cheng Han, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the National University of Singapore. Prof Tan has headed the Law Faculty since 2001 and was made Senior Counsel in 2004. He also serves as consultant to TSMP Law Corporation, a private law practice.

5 The other 11 members of the AIMS will be drawn from diverse backgrounds, with expertise relevant to the various issues to be addressed, including industry participants, academics, sociologists, journalists, professionals and other community representatives. The list of committee members and their backgrounds is given at Annex A.

6 The AIMS will report to the IDM Steering Committee to ensure coordination with Singapore’s IDM industry development efforts. Its recommendations will be submitted to MICA for consideration and follow up.

7 Interactive and Digital Media (IDM) or new media as it is popularly known, is a new emerging industry that has been identified as a promising growth industry for Singapore. The National Research Foundation (NRF) has allocated S$500 million over the next five years to fund the development of a strategic IDM research programme.

8 As the global IDM sector is still young and evolving, it is necessary to monitor international trends and domestic developments in order to anticipate and respond expeditiously to new opportunities and challenges.

MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, COMMUNICATIONS AND THE ARTS

26 March 2007

Contact Persons:

K Bhavani

Director, Corporate Communications

DID: 6837-9865

Email: bhavani_k@mica.gov.sg

Quek Ai Choo

Manager, Corporate Communications

DID: 6837-9841

Email: quek_ai_choo@mica.gov.sg

ANNEX A

Composition of the Advisory Council on the Impact of New Media on Society (AIMS)

Positions	Name	Designation
Chairman	Cheong Yip Seng	Editorial Advisor, SPH
Deputy Chairman	Prof Tan Cheng Han	Dean, Faculty of Law, NUS

Members	Lucas Chow	CEO, MediaCorp
	Robin Hu	Executive Vice President, Singapore Press Holdings
	Zuraidah Ibrahim	Political Editor, The Straits Times
	Koh Su Haw	Assistant Vice-President Singapore Exchange
	Professor Eddie Kuo	Interim Executive Director, Singapore Internet Research Centre, NTU
	Allen Lew Yoong Keong	CEO, SingTel (Singapore)
	Charles Lim	Principal Senior State Counsel, Law Reform and Revision Division, Attorney-General’s Chambers
	Assoc Prof Anh Tuan Nuyen	Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, NUS
	Assoc Prof Milagros Rivera	Head, Communications and New Media, NUS
	Assoc Prof Daniel Seng	Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, NUS
	Manogaran Suppiah	Chief Executive Officer Sinda

Mr Chow is the current CEO of MediaCorp and a Board member of the Design Singapore Council and the Singapore Tourism Board. He was also the former Executive Vice President of corporate business at SingTel. He would be able to bring a mix of experience and understanding of issues and trends relating to content and technology convergence between broadcasting and telecommunications.

Mr Hu is the Executive Vice President in Singapore Press Holdings and he oversees the business of the Chinese Newspapers division of the company. Before this, he was the Managing Director, Global Business at National Computer Systems for around two and a half years. Given his current position within SPH, he can provide valuable feedback on the impact of IDM on the Chinese and English speaking communities.

Ms Ibrahim is currently the Political Editor for The Straits Times in Singapore Press Holdings. She is also currently a board member at the National Heritage Board. Ms Zuraidah’s experience in reporting on

Singapore

and international politics will provide an interesting media perspective when assessing and reviewing the political and social impact arising from the development of the IDM sector. She would also be able to reflect the values of the Malay community.

Mr Koh is currently an Assistant Vice President in the Singapore Exchange. Prior to his current employment, Mr Koh spent around six years at Singapore Press Holdings holding various posts which include Executive Sub-Editor for Streats, Operations Manager for SPH AsiaOne Internet Ltd, and Head of BT Online. In addition, Mr Koh was formerly a NIAC committee member between 1998 and 2004. Mr Koh is therefore familiar with social issues arising from digital media and would be able to contribute positively to the council.

Prof Eddie Kuo is the Interim Executive Director of the Singapore Internet Research Centre (SIRC) in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, NTU, of which he was the Founding Dean of the School for 11 years (1992-2003). Between 2003 and 2005, he served as (founding) Interim Dean of the new School of Humanities & Social Sciences at NTU. As the interim Executive Director of SIRC, Prof Kuo will be able to share the research findings from SIRC. Prof Kuo is also a member of the Bioethics Advisory Committee and he will be able to contribute his vast experience on issues concerning the social and moral challenges arising from IDM.

Mr Lew is currently the CEO of SingTel (

Singapore

) and oversees the consumer, corporate business and networks in SingTel. He has over 26 years of experience working within the telecommunications industry and he will be able to bring to the council valuable insights on technological and market trends from a major telecommunication player perspective in

Singapore

Mr Lim has an excellent legal background and has served with distinction as Chairman of the NIAC Legal Sub-committee. He is very well versed in the legal issues relating to new media such as content, spam and data protection. He has been instrumental in helping the MDA to review its regulatory framework for the Internet and played a major role in developing the Model Data Protection Code for the Private Sector. He will be able to contribute on issues relating to legal implications arising from IDM.

Assoc Prof Anh Tuan Nuyen is currently a lecturer at the Philosophy Department at the National University of Singapore. His areas of research interest include ethics and applied ethics and comparative (Eastern/Western) philosophy. He is also a member in the Bioethics Advisory Committee. Assoc Prof Nuyen’s background will enable him to engage in constructive discussions and provide valuable inputs on the social, ethical and cultural issues arising the Internet and IDM.

Assoc Prof Milagros Rivera is the chair of the Communications and New Media Program at the National University of Singapore. Her extensive research and knowledge in the regulation of information and communication technologies (ICTs), new media and society, Internet regulation, computer/ICT-related crime and governance of ICTs especially in the Asia Pacific Region will provide a deeper understanding of the social issues arising from IDM.

Assoc Prof Daniel Seng is an academic staff at NUS Law faculty who teaches and researches on information technology law and infocommunications law. He is also an active member in the NIAC’s Legal Sub-Committee which focuses on the impact of legislation on new media technology. With Assoc Prof Daniel Seng’s vast experience in

Singapore

legal system and current technology legislation, he will be able to give constructive views on the legal and regulatory impact of IDM.

Mr Suppiah is the newly appointed CEO of Sinda (wef 23 Feb 07). Mr Suppiah is an educationist, spending four years as principal of Temasek Primary School before becoming superintendent in the MOE overseeing 14 schools. Beyond education, he was a grassroots leader in Nee Soon Central for 10 years. His appointment is to provide representation of the Indian community concerns within the council.