Southeast Asia Information Harbor (www.dnyxxg.com) – Since the Cyber Crime Hazards Act (OCHA) came into effect in 2024, major online platforms in Singapore have shown a high degree of cooperation with police directives. In the same year, the Singapore Police Force established the Cyber Crime Hazards Act Office. Assistant Commissioner of Police Yu Guangzhi and Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Ong Shi Hui recently detailed the office's responsibilities and achievements in an interview.
Of the harmful online content combated by this office, 90% is related to fraud, with the remainder involving e-cigarettes, illegal gambling, and illegal lending. Compared to the previous passive model relying on platforms to voluntarily remove content, the Act grants the authorities dual authority of "upstream prevention + post-incident intervention": upstream cooperation with platforms to implement identity verification, and direct directives to remove and block illegal content afterward. Currently, the office has issued numerous directives to platforms such as Meta, Apple, and Google, with a very high compliance rate. Telegram, which previously had a lower level of cooperation, is now fully compliant.
To address the challenge of large-scale fraudulent information dissemination facilitated by AI technology, the Singapore Police Force is collaborating with the Home Technology Agency to utilize AI, machine learning, and other technologies to improve investigative and law enforcement efficiency. Meanwhile, the authorities continue to optimize business guidelines. In 2025, they piloted seller and advertiser identity verification on some e-commerce platforms, and will further strengthen requirements in the future.
The scope of the regulations has been expanded to include violations related to e-cigarettes. Officials designated by the Health Sciences Authority can issue control orders and retrieve investigative data. The office has also proactively connected with local platforms with user bases such as Xiaohongshu, Coffee Meets Bagel, and Amazon to establish communication channels in advance to prevent risks.
Platform collaboration has yielded significant results: Carousell assisted the police in cracking a case in 2025 involving an overseas group selling fake Marina Bay Sands hotel accommodations; Google's Google Play Protect blocked over 3 million high-risk app installations in Singapore. This feature now covers 185 markets globally, blocking 266 million high-risk installations globally in 2025.
