The police was working with social media and e-commerce platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to take action against online scams. - ILLUSTRATION: PEXELS
SINGAPORE: Messaging platform Telegram has not responded to police requests to remove posts involving suspected scams, said Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam.
Responding to a parliamentary question from Gerald Giam (Aljunied GRC), Mr Shanmugam said in a written reply on Monday that the police was working with social media and e-commerce platforms such as Facebook and Instagram to take action against online scams.
He added that since 2021, more than 5,900 online monikers and advertisements involved in suspected scams have been flagged out by the police for termination.
Shanmugam said the turnaround time varies for each removal, depending on the responsiveness of the platforms.
He said: “For example, Shopee would usually take about one to two days to respond, while Carousell and Facebook take longer, sometimes up to five days or even longer.
“On the end of the spectrum, Telegram has not responded to requests by the police.”
Shanmugam said that given the harms that can be caused by scam accounts and posts, it is imperative that they be taken down as fast as possible when flagged.
“We have been engaging the internet companies to improve their turnaround time, so that we can reduce the number of people who may fall prey to the scammers,” he added.
Giam had asked for the current regulatory mechanisms to compel social media platforms to expeditiously remove posts or accounts that are suspected of perpetrating scams.
He also asked what the average turnaround time for such removals following requests by the authorities was, and how many such requests have been made in the last two years.
He also asked when the Online Criminal Harms Act will come into force.
The act was passed in Parliament in July. It empowers the Government to instruct individuals, entities, online and Internet service providers, and app stores to remove or block access to content it suspects is being used to commit crimes.
Shanmugam said on Monday that when the Online Criminal Harms Act comes into operation progressively from the first quarter of 2024, the police will be able to direct online services to prevent suspected scam accounts or content from interacting with or reaching Singapore users.
Non-compliance with these directions will be an offence, he added.
Shanmugam said that while the Online Criminal Harms Act has not yet come into force, social media services designated under the Broadcasting Act are already required to put in place systems and processes to minimise exposure to harmful content for users in Singapore, including scams.
Users in Singapore can report such content to the social media services for removal under their community guidelines and standards, he added. - The Straits Times/ANN
