With technological disruption, today’s world is confronted with three security challenges: polarisation, radicalisation and cyberthreats.

And Singapore, being a small and open economy, and a country that is multiracial and multi-religious, is seeking to deal with these challenges based on three key principles, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday.

The first is to address the social disruption brought about by technological advancements; second, to promote interfaith dialogue and enact laws to fight fake news; and third, to take a multi-faceted approach to tackle cyberthreats.

Speaking at a regional conference on national security, Dr Balakrishnan noted that the new technological revolution is resulting in an explosion of big data, as well as breakthroughs in automation and robotics, among other consequences.

“This, in turn, is leading to another cycle of social and political disruption, and it will have profound implications for national and global security,” he told more than 80 national security practitioners, policymakers and academics at the 13th Asia-Pacific Programme for Senior National Security Officers.