Reply from IDA Singapore Regarding Mobile Phone Spam

We have sent an email to IDA Singapore to feedback about SMS spam and we have received this reply, and would like to summarise that mobile phone spamming in Singapore is currently still un-punishable unless you are really unlucky?..



We would like to explain that, as the regulator of the telecom industry, IDA regulates the behaviour of the telecom service providers. IDA, however, does not regulate the behaviour of the end users of telecom services, including those who use SMS to legitimately promote or market their services, or send unsolicited SMSes.

Regarding the issue of unsolicited SMSes received from other end users, we would like to share that the sending of bulk unsolicited commercial SMSes in Singapore is governed by the Spam Control Act ("Act"). While the Act does not outlaw the sending of such messages, there are certain requirements that senders need to comply with. This includes the need for such messages to include an “” prefix in their subject header and also a valid means for unsubscription.

The Act, however, adopts a civil-based regime for the enforcement of its requirements. This means that parties who have suffered loss or damage due to a sender's non-compliance with the Act, can take direct legal action against the sender. Please note, however, that due to this civil-based regime, there are no specific authorities which can take enforcement action under the Act. For more information on Singapore’s spam control regime, please visit http://spamcontrol.org.sg

Other than legal recourse, you can also consider contacting the company concerned to request them to remove you from their marketing list, if you have not already done so. Most responsible organisations would respect your request.

To minimise the risk of receiving unwanted SMS, consumers are advised to be careful with whom they disclose their mobile numbers to. For example, consumers should be careful when listing their contact numbers in the lucky draws, application forms and surveys, amongst others. These documents are sometimes used by marketers to obtain recipient information. When filling up these forms/documents, the terms and conditions should be read closely to understand how personal details will be used. Special attention should be paid to check boxes - by checking/unchecking such boxes, express consent may be provided for personal details to be shared with and used by third parties. In general, avoid providing your personal particulars unless you are confident that it will not be used for spamming activities.

For your information, while there is currently no generic data protection law in Singapore, the Government recognises the increasing importance and impact of data protection on consumers and is already reviewing Singapore’s data protection regime to address consumers’ concerns, business needs and national interests.