SINGAPORE: Is it truly ‘okay’ for people to take photos of random commuters on the train or in any public space? Recently, an 18-year-old Singaporean student raised this question on Reddit after a 50-something woman took her photo on the MRT without her consent.
Sharing her experience on the r/SMRTRabak subreddit on Tuesday (Nov 25), the student explained that shortly after boarding the train at Tampines, she noticed the older woman sitting opposite her, “staring at her while holding her phone vertically.”
At first, she tried to give the benefit of the doubt, thinking the woman might just be having trouble reading something on her screen. But the situation took a turn at Paya Lebar when the woman moved to sit next to her. Out of curiosity, the student peeked at the stranger’s phone and was shocked to find a photo of herself in the gallery.
“I felt so uncomfortable,” she wrote. “I wanted to confront her, but before I could, she alighted the MRT. Literally why do people do this? Can SMRT ban people from taking photos of others without consent or something? This sucks leh now I have to go on my whole day knowing I’m in some random lady’s gallery. I’m getting the creeps. Please, I need advice if this happens again.”
“Next time take a video or picture of them too.”
In the comments, one Singaporean Redditor noted that even if SMRT were to officially ban taking photos inside the MRT, it was unlikely that such a rule would ever be actively enforced.
Another user agreed, adding that proper enforcement would require additional manpower and resources. “Enforcing means more jobs. More jobs required means more fare increase, and it won’t just be 10 or 20 cents in future. Probably $1,” they wrote.
A third pointed out, “I do not consent to photo taking of others, but by law it’s not illegal to take photos since it’s not harming anyone. Example: you take group selfies in MBS got people in your photos, but no one gonna say to delete, you know?”
A fourth quipped, “Oh well… By law it’s not illegal to take photo in public. Even CCTV does that.. oh wait CCTV even better, it takes video!”
Several others also suggested that if the student encounters a similar situation in the future, she could respond in kind. “Next time, take a video or picture of them too, so they know what it feels like,” one advised.
In other news, a local employee has turned to the internet for advice after discovering that resigning from his current job may cost him the equivalent of two months’ salary.
In a post on the r/asksg subreddit, the worker shared that he is thinking about switching to a new role that promises a modest salary boost. He explained that two companies have already lined up interviews for him. “Company A has a 25% increase bump, while Company B has about 40-45% increase bump,” he wrote.
