Data Ethics Matter in Vulnerable Communities

In November 2023, a simple attempt to buy organic eggs online turned into a nightmare for the Singh family. What started as a routine transaction via WhatsApp ended in malware draining more than S$150,000 in life savings from their bank accounts — wiping out funds earmarked for university tuition, medical bills, and retirement.

Their story — one of hundreds like it — illustrates just how easily trust can be exploited when personal data and digital interactions are not safeguarded. And while scams often target bank accounts, another front has quietly emerged: the misuse of community directories, especially those meant to support vulnerable or marginalised groups. What may appear as a “free” service or resource can actually be a cover for data mining or the layering of hidden fees, once such sensitive information, pertaining to gender orientation, has been harvested.

A Matter Against Data Exploitation

As LGBTQ+ individuals in Singapore gain visibility and pursue their legal rights — whether through wills, housing, transition support, or family law it is important to emphasise that all lawyers called to the Singapore Bar are bound by a higher standard of professional ethics, accountability, and decorum. Engaging directly with such qualified legal practitioners ensures that advice is accurate, sensitive, and in your best interest.

For any professional fees or legal information, clients should ensure these are tendered directly to the appointed lawyer or law firm. There is no place for errant third-party vendors or unlicensed intermediaries who may misrepresent professional legal services or compromise prospective client rights. In navigating these important personal and legal milestones, choosing the right counsel not only protects your interests, it affirms your dignity.

This led to the creation of the LGBT-Inclusive Lawyers Directory by Same Same but Different, a list vetted by a qualified solicitor, Indulekshmi Rajeswari, who worked on the 377A repeal alongside Remy Choo Zheng Xi, offering services rooted in care, dignity and community values, that are already present in Pink Dot SG, Oogachaga, SAFE, Project X, Q Chamber of Commerce, Action for Aids, and AWARE.

Directories like this can be misused, especially those that constantly wish to plant seeds that they are the ‘first’ but are they really, as there are more than five groups before them that have already been supporting the LGBTQ+ groups in Singapore tirelessly. Advocacy groups have flagged instances where LGBTQ+ or individuals in transitional life stages were cold-contacted by real estate agents who sourced their information through community platforms — inappropriately leveraging legal directories for commercial gain.

This is especially alarming when such targeting echoes financial exploitation cases like the Singhs’ — with the risk amplified by the emotional, legal, and financial vulnerabilities many LGBTQ+ clients already face, especially to ensure that individuals are not inadvertently outed or blackmailed for their orientation.

Learning from Other Regulatory Responses

Even the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) recently acknowledged these risks. In December 2024, it announced a review into whether property agents should close a minimum number of transactions annually to retain their licenses — partly to ensure that outdated or inactive agents don’t compromise client trust or fall behind on evolving regulations.

Such regulatory introspection is a reminder: no directory, license, or database should become a backdoor into someone’s personal life. Especially not under the guise of support.

A Directory of Trust, Not Targets

That is why, there is an evolving need to include a full Ethical Use Statement with the LGBT-Inclusive Lawyers Directory — making clear that the information it contains is not to be used for real estate solicitation, marketing outreach, or financial services targeting. This is especially important given how, by late 2021 and into January 2022, others — while recognised for their valuable contributions — had been compassionately moved away from Popspoken after a one-off, unprecedented incident. This was to ensure that no single individual could exploit the ability to hit ‘publish’ for personal matters, misuse first-in-time embargoes meant for reputable media, or leverage credible LGBTQ+ brands, profiles, or individuals in ways that could put the broader community at risk.

Each legal professional listed within has committed to values of:

• Confidentiality
• LGBTQ+ inclusive and gender identity-affirming
• Ethical and Professional standards

The directory is a tool for protection and empowerment, not a resource to mine for commercial leads.

Regarding Medical of Healthcare practitioners, SMC (“Singapore Medical Council”) is the official authority as well as source, to maintain Register of Medical Practitioners, as well as oversees the conduct and ethics focused on professional conduct, competence, and ethics. LGBTQ identity does not affect eligibility for registration or renewal of medical licenses, and doctors and Medical practitioners generally held to standards of non-discrimination toward patients, as part of ethical practice.

Editor’s note (13 June): This is an evolving list, please write in to hello@popspoken.com with your credentials, and ally ship status to be listed. For any new clients, if you are not already a client of the law firm, do confirm representation in writing, and do not include confidential information until you receive confirmation from the lawyer in a formal letter of engagement.

Featured Image Credit: Nottinghamshire

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