In a move to combat scams, the Singapore police have ordered tech giants Apple and Google to prevent the spoofing of government agencies on their respective messaging platforms, iMessage and Google Messages. The order, issued under the nation’s Online Criminal Harms Act, comes after the authorities observed fraudulent messages purporting to be from companies such as the local postal service SingPost.
While the government has already registered with a local SMS registry to ensure that only they can send messages with the “gov.sg” name, this measure did not extend to the iMessage and Google Messages platforms. The police noted that members of the public may assume that messages from “gov.sg” accounts on these platforms are legitimate, as they appear alongside and are not easily distinguishable from SMS messages.
Under the order, Apple and Google will need to prevent accounts and group chats from displaying names that spoof “gov.sg” and other Singapore government agencies, or filter out such messages. The home affairs ministry has stated that both companies have committed to complying with the order, and they have urged the public to update their mobile apps to ensure the latest safeguards are in place.