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Author	Dr Chan Hui Yun
Organisation/Institution	National University of Singapore, Faculty of Law
Country	SINGAPORE
Panel	Law and Society
Title	Legislative widening of law enforcement agencies’ powers for criminal investigations: an exploration of the potential legal and ethical implications to society in Singapore
Abstract	Genetic and DNA information contain valuable information for health and clinical research. Recent expansions in databases containing clinical, research or genetic information have created opportunities for uses which differ from their original purposes such as for criminal investigations by law enforcement agencies. Although DNA information has been used to assist police in criminal investigations, changes in laws seeking to widen the powers of law enforcement agencies to collect DNA samples from more people for criminal investigations have revived concerns in two important aspects: (a) protecting public safety and interest; and (b) protecting the privacy of personal information. This paper explores the legal and ethical implications of the legislative widening of law enforcement agencies’ powers through the Registration of Criminals (Amendment) Act 2022 in Singapore. It will highlight relevant concerns with widening police access powers, such as potential privacy concerns and public interest considerations within a multicultural society and distinct socio-political setting. Potential safeguards and legal options are considered to facilitate the aims of protecting public safety through acceptable powers in police investigations, safeguarding individuals’ expectations of privacy of their personal information contained in research databases and supporting the continued sustainability of these databases. It is suggested that the proposed safeguards not only protect individual interests, but it also prioritises collective interests of other relevant stakeholders in the society that are built on Singapore’s unique, local cultural narratives.
Biography	Hui Yun Chan (LL.B, LL.M, PhD) is a law scholar with research interests in health law, technology, bioethics and socio-legal approaches. Hui Yun currently works at the Centre for Biomedical Ethics, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore and is affiliated with the Future Health Technologies research programme established under the Singapore-ETH Centre. She has taught in law schools in the UK prior to joining NUS. Her work focuses on the regulation of emerging technologies and the legal and ethical aspects of cross-border data transfer, including trustworthy data governance. She has published in the field of advance healthcare decision-making, the regulation of wearables and care robots, the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare, the ethics of organ donation and the legal and ethical aspects of public health, particularly Covid-19 related issues.