S'pore govt orders Meta to implement enhanced facial recognition to fight scammers, possible S$1 million fine if not

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued an implementation directive (ID) to tech giant Meta on Jan. 27, ordering it to take enhanced measures against Facebook scams impersonating users.

It is the second time within six months that Meta has been ordered to target impersonation scams on Facebook under the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA), which was passed on Jul. 5, 2023.

It was previously issued an ID to tackle scams impersonating government officials on Sep. 24, 2025, and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said it has observed a decrease in the number of such scams since.

However, they noted that scammers appear to have pivoted towards targeting users not covered under the first ID.

New ID

Under the second ID, Meta will have to implement enhanced facial recognition measures in Singapore, and prioritise the review of end-user reports from the country.

This will aim to target scam advertisements, accounts, profiles and business pages impersonating government office holders not covered under the first ID, which Meta will have until Jan. 31 to comply with.

Persons assessed by SPF to be at a high risk of being impersonated, such as those who had previously reported falling victim, will also be covered under these new measures, which Meta will have until Feb. 28 to implement.

Under this ID, Meta will also be required to implement in phases facial recognition measures on notable Facebook users in Singapore.

It will have until Jun. 30 to complete the implementation.

A failure to comply with the ID without a reasonable excuse can cost Meta a fine of up to S$1 million, upon conviction.

If it continues to not comply after that, it could face a further fine of S$100,000 for every day or part of a day during which the

offence continues.

Top images via Meta/FB