Catfishing most common online harmful behaviour experienced in Singapore: MDDI survey

Key Concepts

• Catfishing: Using fake identities online to deceive others, often leading to betrayal of trust and intimacy.
• Online Harassment/Cyberbullying: Repeated, hostile behavior online, causing feelings of powerlessness and distress.
• Online Harms: A broad term encompassing various negative online experiences, including scams, illegal content, violence, and psychological distress.
• Desensitization: A reduced emotional response to a negative stimulus (like online harm) due to repeated exposure.
• Age Assurance Technologies: Digital tools designed to verify a user's age online.
• Duties of Care: Legal or ethical obligations for online platforms to protect their users from harm.
• Media Literacy: The ability to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media in a variety of forms.

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Online Harms in Singapore: Survey Findings

A recent survey by Singapore's Digital Development and Information Ministry revealed significant personal experiences with online harms over the past year.

Personal Experiences

• Catfishing was the most commonly encountered fake identity online. A psychiatrist noted that catfishing involves a "betrayal of trust and intimacy," leading victims to feel "very should meet the full falling for it," despite the manipulation.
• Beyond catfishing, one in three people in Singapore personally experienced other harmful online behaviors.
• The most frequent experiences were unwanted messages and online harassment. A psychiatrist highlighted that such experiences, even behind a screen, can severely affect a person's dignity and sense of control. For cyberbullying and harassment, it's associated with "powerlessness" and makes people feel "very, very explosive and Ellen forms."

Exposure to Harmful Content

• More than 8 in 10 respondents reported seeing harmful content at least a few times a month.
• One in three saw illegal activities, such as scams or prohibited items for sale.
• Approximately one in four encountered "to content" as well as violent material.

User Reporting Behavior and Challenges

Despite widespread exposure to online harms, a significant majority of users do not report such content to platforms.

Lack of Reporting

• More than 4 in 5 users who encountered harmful content simply skipped or closed it.
• One in four did nothing at all.
• Authorities suggest this inaction might stem from past experiences where reports did not lead to timely action.

Reasons for Inaction

Associate Professor Matthew Ng, Head of the Department of Communications and New Media at NUS and a member of the Media Literacy Council, noted that while exposure to harmful content has increased, user action has not. He stated, "The fact that many uses that chief come take no action even after they do at the it you can recognize the harmful content. Is it you kind of telling?"

• He attributes this to a "desensitization" and "normalization" of online harms, especially among users who spend significant portions of their lives online. This leads them to believe reporting might not be necessary.

Platform Responsibilities

An expert emphasized that platforms "need to act that must on speedy" and work with both authorities (like IMDA) and communities. Their role includes taking down, blocking, and removing "such for Ben Chifley" (likely referring to harmful content) as quickly as possible.

Call for Stronger Regulation and Policy Development

There is a strong public demand for more robust measures against online harms.

Public Demand

• Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo noted that nearly two in three people desire stronger regulations against online harms.
• A new law aimed at ensuring victims receive timely help is slated for proposal by the first half of next year.

Societal Impact of Online Harms

Associate Professor Ng views the public's call for stronger regulation as a "shift away from the kind of like Poche approach debt Singapore has been having in the pass." He believes it reflects a greater public awareness and concern that online harms are not just individual issues but "something that you flat of check is going to affect all society." This highlights a recognition of the collective, not just individual, impact.

Operationalizing Regulation and Technological Interventions

The discussion also touched upon the practical implementation of stronger regulations.

Defining Platform Duties

• Associate Professor Ng explained that regulations could clarify the "duties of care and responsibilities" that platforms need to adhere to.
• This includes mandates for platforms to take "first the action" on content once it's evaluated as harmful and reported by users.
• Singapore already has efforts to make clear what is expected of platforms, with the Online Safety Code setting out "3 key markets."

Technological Solutions and Cautions

• Technological interventions, such as age assurance technologies, are being considered.
• However, Associate Professor Ng cautioned against over-reliance on technology to "soft the problem." He stressed the need to be careful about how these technologies are implemented to avoid them becoming "overreaching sessions" that could "compromise people's privacy."

The Enduring Role of Education and Media Literacy

Despite years of effort, education and media literacy remain critical and ongoing endeavors.

• Associate Professor Ng acknowledged that "we think constantly talking about education needed literacy," and much effort is directed there.
• He emphasized that "education is not something that is that the right now" because "platforms are constantly changing online harms and the landscape thought it's constantly changing."
• Therefore, education must be a continuous process, constantly adapting to new tactics from malicious actors. "It's something that we have to constantly engaging keep doing."

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Conclusion/Main Takeaways

The prevalence of online harms in Singapore, from catfishing and harassment to illegal content, is significant, yet user reporting remains low due to desensitization and perceived ineffectiveness. There is a strong public and governmental push for stronger regulations, recognizing the societal rather than just individual impact of these harms. While regulatory frameworks will define platform responsibilities and may incorporate technological solutions like age assurance, caution is needed to protect privacy. Crucially, education and media literacy are not one-time fixes but continuous, evolving efforts essential to combat the ever-changing landscape of online threats.