From the week of Dec 23, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (Acra) in Singapore will restore the People Search function on its Bizfile portal, allowing users to search for basic information on individuals registered with Acra. However, full NRIC numbers will only be available for a fee of $33, following concerns over privacy and security after a previous attempt to make them freely accessible caused public backlash.

The changes come after a miscommunication between Acra and the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI), which led to the unintended release of full NRIC numbers. The restored search function will not display any NRIC numbers but will allow users to search for individuals by name. The government emphasized that this decision strikes a balance between corporate transparency and protecting personal information.