Following previous guideline changes that only granted taxis and private-hire vehicles to record video, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has recently announced another set of key changes that, if a government online poll is to be believed, most residents support.Starting on July 15, these public service vehicles will also be allowed to install audio recording devices. The LTA believes that this new policy will support investigations and inquiries into inappropriate behavior.This decision stems from incidents such as the one that occurred in January when a Gojek driver posted a video of a fight between him and a female passenger. The LTA subsequently issued a warning to the driver in May, after a complaint was filed against him for disregarding privacy guidelines. A statement was released stating that unauthorized recordings cannot be made without the LTA’s approval.The LTA cites data from REACH, the national feedback unit, that said 91 percent believe that audio recording is ideal to protect both the driver and the passenger. One thousand residents aged 15 and above responded to the online poll conducted this March.In that same survey, 41 percent who agreed to in-vehicle audio and video recording also believe that there are enough safeguards to their privacy, while 25 percent don't care about having their conversations and faces recorded.With this new ruling, drivers will have to get permission from the LTA to install audio-recording features. Signage alerting riders of the devices should be visible and they have to be notified beforehand for pre-booked trips. Buses, however, are exempt from these revised guidelines because they “are similar to public spaces and are shared by many passengers.”The inward-facing devices will apparently be “more effective” in incidents of conflict, although the ethical concerns surrounding this will no doubt still be a point of contention.
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