Singapore directs Apple, Google to prevent government spoofing on messaging platforms

Apple’s Messages icon
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs announced on Tuesday that police have directed Apple and Google to block scammers from impersonating government agencies on their messaging platforms.
The directive, issued under the Online Criminal Harms Act, follows a rise in fraud cases on Apple’s iMessage and Google Messages where scammers posed as official entities, including SingPost, the national postal service.
Reuters:
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While government agencies have registered with a local SMS registry so only they can send messages with the “gov.sg” name, this does not currently apply to the iMessage and Google Messages platforms.
“Members of the public may assume that messages they receive from accounts claiming to be from ‘gov.sg’ on iMessage or Google Messages are legitimate because messages sent through iMessage and Google Messages appear alongside and are not easily distinguishable from SMSes,” the police said.
Under the order, Google and Apple will need to prevent accounts and group chats from displaying names which spoof “gov.sg” and other Singapore government agencies, or filter such messages out.

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MacDailyNews Note: The Ministry of Home Affairs stated that both Apple and Google have pledged full compliance with the order and urged the public to update their messaging apps immediately to activate the latest anti-spoofing protections.

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