Ministry of Education dependent on Google?

I wrote previously about local MPs who were using US web based emails for their correspondence and US spying project like PRISM. It was exposed previously that 9 US internet companies had allowed US government to tap into their servers direcly, allowing the US government to gather intelliegence. The companies were, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, Youtube and Apple. Why can't our multi-billion government budget provide a simple and secured web email for our MPs?

This same kind of question begs when I was recently informed by a reader that even the Ministry of Education uses Google and Gmail for emails and cloud computing. How secure is such an arrangement? How much did the government pay for this?

Again, our multi-billion budget should be spent wisely, securing our information, and making sure citizens get their money worth. If the government is more than happy to use Google or Hotmail, then why do we need to pay competitive salaries to IDA staff or computer engineers? We might as well be using Gmail and Hotmail for everything.

See the screenshots for the MOE/Google log in pages:

Are our MPs monitored under the PRISM Program?

I wrote previously about local MPs who were using US based email website for their daily correspondence. I had expressed concerns about the privacy and the security of our national policies when these MPs put our nation at risk and unknowingly providing intelliegnce to the US who collects it effortlessly.

Recently, my concern became real when it was exposed that 9 US internet companies had allowed US government to tap into their servers direcly, thus allowing the US government to gather any intelliegnce that they require. The project named PRISM involves companies such as, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Microsoft, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, Youtube and Apple. However, Obama said that "With respect to the internet and emails, this does not apply to US citizens, and it does not apply to people living in the United States.”

When asked, President, Obama had came into defence of the project and explained that such program is targetted at Non-American Citizens. However, it was later found that even the UK communication intelligence agency has accessed to the information under the same program.

It is time that we seriously look at providing a reliable, efficient and secure email system for the MPs. Maybe this could be one of the things SITSA can do. Since they stated the followings: "SITSA is the national specialist unit overseeing operational infocomm technology (IT) security in Singapore. Specifically, SITSA is responsible for preparing and securing Singapore’s Critical Informaiton Infrastructure (e.g. Government, Energy, etc).

Related links:

• Inside Story American - 'Big Brother' Obama?

• US government is tapping 9 major Internet companies

• U.S., British intelligence mining data from nine U.S. Internet companies in broad secret program

What were our Members of Parliament thinking?

Some weeks ago, while I was looking up MP Chen Show-Mao’s email on the Parliament of Singapore website (I wanted to ask him about the SMU Handa Centre which he had not replied my email till today) and I noticed that some MPs were using Gmail, Yahoo or Hotmail accounts as their corresponding email.

I was telling myself that this cannot be right. We all know that when we sign on to such services, we are giving up some of our privacy, and allowing these companies to track our activities, location and even allowing them to read our emails. While others are suing Google forbreach of such privacy, our Members of Parliament are using it as if it is a secure service provided by our government. Google was even charged by US FederalTrade Commission for illicit monitoring of Apple owners. I wonder what were these MPs thinking when they signed up for foreign controlled emails accounts, and using it to correspond with each other on national issues, concerns of their residents, and possibly national policies that are in the pipeline. This had been happening probably for years and I wonder if the Ministry in-charge of cyber security had even raised such concerns to them. Or does no one dare to advise MPs?

In any case, such email services are not that secure as it seems. In 2009, an article in globalpolitican touched on the security lapses of Gmail.

It would be common sense that each MP should be given a secure email account where its servers are located within the country. The current practice is akin to a company allowing the contract cleaners access to all levels and rooms within its building, while applying restriction on the access to its own employees. It just does not make any sense trusting outsiders more than someone you are employing. Anyone with common sense would know that it is much easier to investigate into a security breach only if evidences are within your reach. So if there is a security breach on one of the MPs’ email, how can the authorities investigate? Write to Google, Microsoft or Yahoo, asking for information? The same people who were probably also checking your emails for you even before you had read it?

For those interested, these are the list of MPs who are using foreign controlled email accounts.