CNA Explains: Why is Telegram becoming a hotbed for crime?

Law enforcement organizations may also face difficulties with data recovery, particularly with fog and web-based store technology, he said.

Law enforcement efforts are further complicated by the sheer size and scope of messaging action on communication apps, according to Mr. Wee.

” Areas frequently have thousands of users, and they can all privately communication one another.” Additionally, new populations or groups can appear almost instantly, making scanning and detection challenging, he continued.

According to a CNB voice, cautious knowledge gathering and thorough investigations are used to cut off the supply of controlled drugs and neutralize drug activity in its anti-drug campaigns.

These drug offenders might believe that using such talk programs do allow them to conduct business secretly. Drug offenders may avoid the long arm of CNB’s police efforts, the spokesperson said, regardless of the strategy or platform used in an effort to avoid detection.

Does TELEGRAM BE CONSIDERED Guilty?

According to two attorneys CNA spoke with, it will be challenging to hold Telegram responsible for the legal actions carried out on the communications app.

According to Mr. Wee, Telegram may say that it has no control over the content that is exchanged on the application. He also added that the use of end-to-end encryption enables the company to” assert that its knowledge of the contents of message exchanges”

Messaging apps like Telegram are frequently found in countries where it is challenging to enforce decisions or orders, he continued.

Establishing legal duty, which frequently involves objective, against Telegram, a” significantly bona fide software for communication ,” according to Mr. James Gomez, may be difficult.

However, the attorneys CNA spoke with emphasized that the recently passed Online Criminal Harms Act 2023( OCHA ), which was passed in Parliament on July 5, may hold messaging apps like Telegram legally responsible for criminal activities carried out on their platform.

According to Mr. Ng, the OCHA will help the government deal with illegal content electronically more effectively.

” The OCHA enables the government to give instructions to online companies where legal activity is carried out.” It applies to specific criminal offenses, such as website gambling, drug trafficking, physical crimes, and online frauds.

Where instructions have been disobeyed, the state may issue orders prohibiting non-compliance, such as directions blocking or restricting access to the relevant communication system in Singapore. Additionally, the communication system may be ordered to be taken out of Singaporean application stores by the government, he added.

According to Mr. James Gomez, the Act” gives law enforcement agencies better access to control website illegal activities and to enable them to better regulate unlawful online activities.”

According to Mr. James Gomez, the Act enables law enforcement to get information from online service companies like Telegram, which improves the effectiveness of tracing criminal activity.