Singapore Personal Access, better known as Singpass, is the trusted digital identity that allows Singapore residents to easily and securely access over 1,400 government and private sector services both online and in-person.

Aren't you tired of bringing stacks of documents when you need to verify your identity? Is the cost of mailing lengthy contracts back and forth between businesses eating at your pockets?

With the new and improved Singpass, users may log in to digital services, authenticate their identity at counters, digitally sign papers, and more.

The Government Technology Agency (GovTech) is in charge of Singpass, ensuring the utmost security regarding your document data and personal information.

But where does Dedoco come into this?

Dedoco is a digital signing and document platform based on the concepts of Privacy, Trust, and Security through a decentralised, end-to-end capability, as we strive to be more than just a digital signature solution.

Our solution is designed to improve efficiency and compliance while also ensuring document security and data privacy.

Our decentralised architecture is unique in that we don't keep a copy of your papers on our systems or have access to them. Our smart contracts, which include both automation and tamper-proofing functionalities, allow you to create and control business operations from start to finish.

With the comprehensive cybersecurity measures of Dedoco and the certification authority of SingPass, we combined the industry best practices into one user-friendly experience for all.

Sign with Singpass

The Singapore government is moving towards becoming a smart nation. This has become especially important in the emergence of social distancing measures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In July 2020, GovTech unveiled the “Sign with SingPass” feature, which provides SingPass users with the use of secure electronic signatures. It follows the launch of the “SingPass Face Verification” service.

These new services are part of the National Digital Identity (NDI) Smart Nation strategic national project, which aims to build a trusted digital identity ecosystem for citizens, public agencies and private sector companies.

As recognised under Singapore’s Electronic Transactions Act 2010 (ETA), electronic signatures are the functional equivalent of "wet-ink" signatures.

The ETA provides for the legal recognition and use of electronic signatures, with the fulfilment of these requirements:

• There must be reliable assurance about the integrity of information in the electronic record, from when it was first made in until its final form.
• Where the electronic record is to be provided to a person, it must be capable of being displayed to that person.
• It must comply with any additional requirements relating to electronic records specified by GovTech.
  

What are the Benefits of Digital Signing in Singapore?

The use of electronic signatures can greatly improve productivity and save time and money, especially in these cases:

• Signatures from multiple parties are required, such as a shareholders’ or directors’ resolution.
• Several of the required signatories are situated overseas, where you would traditionally mail the documents back and forth.
  

Electronic signatures also heighten security.

You may wonder: 'Isn't my physical signature the most secure way to sign?'

That may be the case if you are the one signing, of course.

However, forgeries are the biggest weakness in physical signatures, such as the case of a person who forged his company director's signature and submitted a false cash payment application form. Both the company and forger were penalised as a result.

Hence, the Singapore Government promises security for SingPass users with these features:

• Two-step verification for more than 100 services that involve sensitive information. When users perform sensitive transactions, a one-time password will be sent to users' mobile phones or generated through a token.
• Users will receive SMS or e-mail notifications when anything is changed in their accounts or profiles, such as password resets.
• All electronic signatures via SingPass are encrypted, and a person's identity is validated against the Government's database at the point of signing.
  

Meanwhile, Dedoco's platform sets itself apart from other solutions by ensuring that we have none of your sensitive and confidential documents on our servers.

Our 'check hash' feature assists in validating the document's integrity by ensuring that it is the original version. Any modification to the document will result in a new hash, rendering it tamper-proof.

There will be no way to misuse your electronic signatures.

Can Electronic Signatures be Used for Everything?

There are certain exclusions for the use of electronic signatures in Singapore. The following cases are excluded from the ETA and therefore cannot be electronically signed:

• Wills
• Any transferable document or instrument that entitles the bearer or beneficiary to claim the delivery of goods or the payment of a sum of money, such as documents of title, bills of exchange, promissory notes, consignment notes, warehouse receipts etc
• The creation, performance or enforcement of an indenture, a declaration of trust or power of attorney, except for implied, constructive and resulting trusts
• Any contract for the selling or other disposition of real estate property or any interest in such property
• The conveyance or transfer of any interest in real estate property.
  

These cases still require traditional signatures to be considered legal and binding.

Electronic Signatures with Dedoco

Now that we've covered the basics of SingPass and some features of Dedoco, we invite you to explore all we offer on our platform, starting with Sign and Verify.

Dedoco is one of Singapore's most trusted application providers, with clientele from governments and public sectors, HR and recruitment, financial services, corporate secretary, and accounting and audit firms.

If you have any more questions about how Dedoco works, our Frequently Asked Questions page may be able to help. Otherwise, you are always free to contact us.