Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on Measures by SPF to Regulate Illegal Activities on Online Apps

Question:

Ms Yeo Wan Ling: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what are the measures taken by the Singapore Police Force to regulate the use of online apps, including chat groups and messaging platforms, for illegal activities such as the sale of prohibited drugs.

Answer:

Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development:

1. Mr Speaker,

2. MHA has been working with MCI and other enforcement agencies to tackle illegal online activities and protect Singapore users of online platforms. To this end, we have taken steps to strengthen legislations and impose obligations on online platforms.

3. For example, the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA), which MHA is operationalising progressively, empowers enforcement agencies to issue directions to online service providers, other entities, or individuals, when there is reasonable suspicion that there is online activity in furtherance of specified criminal offences, such as the sale of prohibited drugs, which the Member has mentioned.

4. OCHA will also allow us to issue Codes of Practice to require providers of designated online services to put in place systems, processes, and measures to disrupt scams and malicious cyber activities affecting people in Singapore. We will introduce the Codes of Practice this year.