Singapore Orders Apple and Google to Block Fake Government Messages
Singapore’s police have directed Apple and Google to stop impersonation of government agencies on their messaging platforms. The Ministry of Home Affairs announced the move on Tuesday under the nation’s Online Criminal Harms Act.
New Rules Target Scam Messages
The order follows an increase in scams sent through Apple’s iMessage and Google Messages. These scams falsely claimed to be from trusted organisations such as SingPost, the country’s postal service. Authorities said that such fake messages have misled many recipients into thinking they were communicating with official sources.
Previous Warning to Meta
In September, the government warned Meta Platforms that it could face fines if it failed to strengthen security on Facebook. Officials suggested using measures such as facial recognition to reduce impersonation scams, including those involving government figures.
Why the Order Was Needed
Government agencies in Singapore are registered under a local SMS registry, which ensures that only authorised senders can use the “gov.sg” label. However, this protection does not extend to Apple’s and Google’s messaging platforms. Messages sent through iMessage and Google Messages often appear alongside regular SMS texts, making it difficult for users to tell genuine messages apart from fake ones.
Tech Giants Agree to Cooperate
Under the new order, Apple and Google must prevent users and group chats from displaying names that imitate “gov.sg” or other official agencies. They may also be required to filter out such messages entirely. Both companies have agreed to comply with the directive and urged users to update their messaging apps to activate the new safeguards.
with inputs from Reuters