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TikTok and Instagram influencer Koh Boon Ki has issued a public statement about her involvement in a Telegram group chat and a Google sheet titled, "Dating Guide SG".
Group chat intended as "safe space" for sharing dating experiences
In a TikTok video on Oct. 18, Koh addressed the matter, explaining that she created the group chat for girls to share their dating experiences, after several positive responses to her initial suggestion indicated there is a demand.
She said she even "manually verified every single person" before adding them to the chat, in order to ensure that the group would be "a safe space for girls to share their experiences".
But she conceded that she "didn't put enough consideration into setting boundaries and rules within the chat to moderate the discussion".
"I did not realise that it was also slowly spiralling into a name and shame group," she added.
Koh first suggested the idea of a group chat on Oct. 17 in a TikTok post which drew both support and criticism.
Google sheet created by participants
As for the "Dating Guide SG" Google sheet, Koh said it was created by participants of the group chat.
She said she did not create the sheet, and had no access to it.
Koh said the idea to create a spreadsheet was a "spur-of-the-moment idea" and that she didn't realise it would be "picked up and actualised in such a way".
"The document is very incriminating and I do regret its existence," she added, saying that she reached out to the Google sheet's creator to ask them to delete the document.
Commenting on the experiences that were shared, Koh said she was "definitely quite saddened to hear about some of the encounters that the girls in the group chat have had", while acknowledging that she was not in a position to verify the statements.
"If the sexual assaults were true, I hope there are authorities involved," she said, referring to entries on the "Dating Guide SG" spreadsheet that alleged sexual assault and other criminal behaviour.
"I have now learned my lesson"
Koh ended off her statement saying that how things turned out was "unfortunate", but that she had learned from the experience.
"I have now learned my lesson that measures have to be put in place to regulate such a space in order to keep it safe and respectful," she said, and invited those interested in joining a girls group chat to let her know.
"I can create another group chat with rules set in place to maintain safe and respectful discussion," she said.
Top screenshots via @doujiang.youtiao on TikTok and via Telegram and Google Sheets
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