Ministry of Home Affairs / Singapore Police Force — Meta Platforms
Singapore issued its first Implementation Directive under the Online Criminal Harms Act, ordering Meta to deploy enhanced facial-recognition measures and prioritise Singapore reports to detect and remove Facebook impersonation scams using officials' likenesses, on pain of fines up to SGD 1 million.
Key takeaway — how to prevent this
Biometric data (faces, iris, fingerprints) needs an explicit lawful basis or consent. Scraping or capturing it without one is unlawful across the EU/UK and many US states (e.g. Illinois BIPA) — and draws the largest fines.
Case brief
Read from the authority's press release on 2026-09-06. Every holding carries a short verbatim quote from that text.
- Decided by
- Online Criminal Harms Act Competent Authority, Singapore Police Force
- Parties
- Singapore Police Force v. Meta Platforms
- Decision date
- September 24, 2025
- Remedy
- Meta is required to implement enhanced facial recognition measures in Singapore and prioritise the review of Singapore end-user reports by 30 September 2025 to target scam content impersonating key Government Office Holders.
- Appeal
- Appeal status not stated
Key holdings
The Competent Authority within the Singapore Police Force issued an Implementation Directive to Meta to curb impersonation scams targeting government officials.
“The Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA) Competent Authority, sited within the Singapore Police Force (SPF), has issued an Implementation Directive (ID) to Meta on 24 September 2025” — paragraph 1
Meta is required to implement enhanced facial recognition measures and prioritize review of user reports from Singapore.
“Meta, as the parent company of Facebook, will be required to implement: (i) enhanced facial recognition measures in Singapore; and (ii) prioritise review of end-user reports from Singapore” — paragraph 4
Failure to comply with the Implementation Directive renders Meta liable to a fine of up to $1 million upon conviction.
“Failure to comply with the ID without reasonable excuse would render Meta liable on conviction to a fine of up to $1 million” — paragraph 5
In plain English
Between June 2024 and June 2025, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Singapore Police Force observed an increasing number of scams on Facebook using fake advertisements, profiles, accounts, and pages featuring images or videos of key Government Office Holders. During this timeframe, the Singapore Police Force disrupted approximately 2,000 such advertisements and online monikers on Facebook. To address these risks and protect public trust, the Online Criminal Harms Act Competent Authority within the Singapore Police Force issued an Implementation Directive to Meta on 24 September 2025. This directive marks the first Implementation Directive issued under the Online Criminal Harms Act. Under the directive, Meta must put in place specific measures by 30 September 2025. These obligations require Meta to deploy enhanced facial recognition measures in Singapore and prioritize the review of end-user reports submitted from Singapore regarding scam content impersonating key government officials. Failure to comply without a reasonable excuse carries a penalty upon conviction of a fine up to $1 million, plus an additional daily fine of up to $100,000 for every day the offense continues after conviction.
Inclusion does not imply wrongdoing or liability. Status reflects the latest information we have — always check the official source for current status.