It is totally understandable to look with regret to the SingHealth breach and the ensuing public investigation. I did not attend the hearings but it must be quite harrowing for the several executives and managers to be called up and have their words about how they failed reported in a newspaper. I do not think anyone imagines doing such a thing when they sign up for the job.

Even so, I think it provides fascinating insight into the mentality of Singaporean companies and the lessons it holds not just for data security but data protection as well.

The investigation is still going and I rather analyse the committee’s report rather than the newspaper. I do not really know whether reporters focus on the juicy bits or the things that people care about if they want assurance that the government knows what they are doing since I did not attend the hearings.

While we wait for the formal report, I guess we only have gems like this:

“Once we escalate to management, there will be no day no night,” one message went, meaning that there will be a lot more work and pressure…

“I thought to myself: ‘If I report the matter, what do I get? If I report the matter, I will simply get more people chasing me for more updates. If they are chasing me for more updates, I need to be able to get more information to provide them,” he said, tearing as he recounted his mother’s admission to a hospital accident and emergency department on the night of July 6.

Oh my gosh. I do not really know what to say.