Singapore drafts new bill to curb spread of cybercrime

Illustration photo.

Singapore is joining countries around the world in drafting new legislation that will give regulators the power to control online content. The bill, called the Online Criminal Harms Bill, will allow authorities to take early action against suspected online crimes.

Singapore is now looking to pass a new bill in the near future that would allow the country to issue directives to prevent the spread of malicious online activities, including blocking access to websites suspected of being fraudulent.

The Online Criminal Harms Bill, which was first proposed and introduced in Singapore's Parliament on May 8, outlines five core regulations that can be enacted when the government suspects “any website, online account or online activity” is being used for fraudulent or malicious activities.

For example, online service providers may be instructed to disable specific content, such as web pages or posts, including copies of the content, so that it cannot be viewed in Singapore. They may also be instructed to block access to a web address (URL).

App stores may also be instructed to remove the app from their Singapore stores to prevent further downloads by domestic users.

The proposed bill, which would allow authorities to take action against those who commit or facilitate online crimes, is part of a broader “set of laws” to protect Singaporeans online, according to Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs. The bill could be applied to nine categories of criminal offences, including activities that affect national security, illegal gambling and activities that incite violence.

Government directives can be issued as long as there is “reasonable suspicion” an online activity is being carried out to facilitate a crime.

A “proactive” approach is needed to combat the scale and speed at which cybercrime is reaching its peak, the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs added. It noted that syndicates are increasingly sophisticated and malicious activities can spread quickly online. Compared to other specific crimes, the lower threshold for action allows the government to disrupt scams and malicious cyber activities before anyone falls prey.

As a financial hub, the island is particularly vulnerable to fake news and misinformation campaigns. Earlier this year, 23 men were arrested in an operation against online child sexual exploitation, including the transmission of obscene material. In 2022, 32 drug offenders were arrested in an operation against drug transactions conducted via chat apps.

The data also shows that scams and malicious cyber activities have increased in Singapore in recent years. Last year alone, Singapore recorded 33,669 cases of scams and cybercrimes, up 25.2% from 2021, with more than S$660.7 million ($496 million) lost to scammers. Phishing, a common form of attack for such activities, also more than doubled, with 8,500 scams reported in 2022 compared to 3,100 the previous year.

The proposed new Bill will provide the means for the government to take swift action against online content that is criminal in nature or is used to facilitate crime and disrupt such activities before they can have an adverse impact on users, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs said.

The draft law also outlines codes of practice that would require certain online services to have systems and processes in place to prevent malicious cyber activities, as well as support enforcement actions against such cybercrimes.

If the risk of malicious online activities persists on a designated online service, despite the Code of Practice, instructions may be issued to the service provider to implement measures to reduce that risk.

The proposed bill includes an appeals mechanism for recipients of government directives to request reconsideration or revocation of the directive.

According to Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs, the proposed bill is part of a series of laws aimed at protecting Singapore from harmful online activities such as the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act and the Foreign Interference Act.

The Online Safety (Amendment) Act also came into effect earlier this year, allowing the Singapore government to issue directives to social media platforms to block local residents from accessing content it deems “serious.” The regulations also allow access to social media sites to be cut off if operators refuse to comply with the directive.

In order to curb the spread of cybercrime, policymakers in both developed and developing countries are also looking to introduce real-name registration for Internet activities. Major companies such as Google and Facebook are also in favor of real-name registration.

In fact, real-name online registration policies aimed at enabling traceability or banning anonymity are quite common around the world. For example, in 2007, South Korea implemented a real-name law, requiring all internet users to verify their identity by submitting their resident registration number (RRN) to their internet service providers (ISPs). In 2011, in Germany, then-Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich advocated a real-name policy after the Norway shootings. Given the impact of anonymity on law enforcement and public order, it is not surprising that China decided in 2012 to expand its internet regulations, requiring internet users to register with their real names.

Faced with the increasing signs of cybercrime, on May 8, speaking at the explanation session of the National Assembly's Judiciary Committee, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam said that in the coming time, the authorities will require all social network account holders, whether individuals or organizations, to carry out identification - applicable to foreign social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, TikTok... This regulation has been included in the decree replacing the decrees on management and use of information on the network that are being revised and will be issued in 2023, in order to prevent subjects from taking advantage of technology to commit crimes in cyberspace.