Cops ask Facebook for help with cybercrimes

Social media giant won’t assist in political cases

SINGAPORE: The Crime Suppression Division(CSD) has pledged to better protect people against cybercrime, following a meeting with Facebook officials at the company’s Singapore headquarters.

“We will be the pilot agency for this new mission over the next few months,” said Pol Col Neti Wongkulap, chief of the CSD’s subdivision 3.

The agency is encouraging people to give anonymous tips-off or clues that will help investigators deal with crimes including terrorism, child abduction and sexual abuse, and human trafficking.

A recent spate of cybercrime led Facebook at the meeting to reiterate its willingness to cooperate with police in all countries when serious crimes are being investigated, but the giant social media platform provider has warned that it will “only work with law enforcement agencies and is not open to receiving complaints from users”, Pol Col Neti said.

“So the CSD will act as a go-between for people and Facebook,” he said.

Pol Col Neti went to the city-state island last week to seek cooperation with Facebook and the Singaporean Criminal Investigation Department.

The CSD needs Facebook’s help as 53 million Thais, from a population of 74 million, use the world largest social networking site.

“Good and bad people use Facebook,” Pol Col Neti said.

“That’s why we need to tighten cooperation with its provider.”

So far Facebook has played an important role in helping police in foreign countries deal with many criminal cases, observers say. However, its work with Thai authorities faces some glitches because many law enforcement organisations have not yet been officially recognised by Facebook, Pol Col Neti said.

A result is the two sides cannot quickly exchange information during the investigation, he said. Pol Col Neti hopes the latest meeting between the CSD and Facebook will lead to better operations to curb cybercrimes through he added that Facebook insisted it will keep a distance from domestic political cases under its users’ privacy policy.

CSD chief Pol Maj Gen Jirapop Phuridech said cooperation with Facebook and the Singaporean police is just the start and the CSD hopes a similar approach can be implemented across the whole region.