The Singapore government has announced that it is now introducing a technology-assisted enforcement approach against unregistered SMS senders, who are likely scammers. This initiative aims to protect consumers from falling prey to fraudulent activities, by tagging and tracking unregistered SMS senders.
The implementation of this technology will be done through a data sharing arrangement amongst industry players and the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCCS). This collaborative effort will involve telecoms providers, such as Singtel and StarHub, alongside the country’s telecommunication regulator Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA).
A shared database called the Registry of Unauthentic Text Senders (RUTS) will be created, and will be accessible to both telecoms companies and the IMDA. This registry will be used to store identifying information of unregistered SMS senders, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to spot anomalous patterns rates to identify likely scams.
As a result of this new enforcement approach, telecoms providers, who are primary sources of this fraud risk, are now required to act as the first line of defence against unsolicited SMS and text messages sent to consumers. They must also report incidents of suspected fraud to IMDA and the CCCS, allowing the government to investigate potential fraud cases.
This new system is aimed at bolstering consumer protection and ensuring trust in digital communications. Consumers can now be assured that their messages are coming from legitimate businesses and organisations, free from fraudulent activities. Additionally, having the IMDA and the CCCS involved allows for more oversight on technological advancements and data protection, as well as creating a more secure and efficient incident response process.
The move for Singapore to tag unregistered SMS senders as likely scammers is a first-of-its-kind initiative and an important step towards increasing transparency with regards to digital communications. Through the establishment of the RUTS database and the involvement of industry stakeholders, stringent measures are being placed in order to protect consumers from cyber fraud and to ensure only authentic communication is taking place.
This Cyber News was published on www.zdnet.com. Publication date: Thu, 26 Jan 2023 17:54:02 +0000