Regulatory Mechanisms to Compel Social Media Platforms to Remove Posts or Accounts Suspected of Perpetrating Scams

Mr Gerald Giam Yean Song asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what are the current regulatory mechanisms to compel social media platforms to expeditiously remove posts or accounts that are suspected of perpetrating scams; (b) what is the average turnaround time for such removals following requests by the authorities; (c) how many of such requests have been made in the last two years; and (d) when will the Online Criminal Harms Act be operationalised.

The Police have been working with social media and e-commerce platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram, to take action against online scams. Since 2021, more than 5,900 online monikers and advertisements involved in suspected scams have been flagged out by Police for termination.

The turnaround time varies for each removal, depending on the responsiveness of the platforms. For example, Shopee would usually take about one to two days to respond, while Carousell and Facebook would take longer, sometimes up to five days or even longer. At the end of the spectrum, Telegram has not responded to Police’s requests.

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.

The Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) was passed in Parliament in July 2023. When OCHA is operationalised progressively from the first quarter of 2024, Police will be able to direct online services to prevent suspected scam accounts or content from interacting with or reaching Singapore users. Non-compliance to these Directions will be an offence.

While OCHA is not yet operationalised, 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. Singapore users are also able to report such content to the social media services for removal under their community guidelines and standards. These requirements are spelt out in the Code of Practice for Online Safety under the Broadcasting Act.