CATOS receives $50m boost to enhance online trust and safety

This is on top of the initial $20m announced by the government in January.

The Centre for Advanced Technologies in Online Safety (CATOS) is set to receive $30m funding from the National Research Foundation, Singapore (NRF) to boost its ability to improve online trust and safety in the country.

The $30m will supplement the initial $20m funding announced in January 2024 to set up CATOS. 

Josephine Teo, minister for communications and information, and minister-in-charge of Smart Nation and Cybersecurity, said at the inaugural Online Trust & Safety (OTS) Forum that CATOS will receive a total of $50m in funding over five years. 

This is under the Smart Nation and Digital Economy domain of Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2025 Plan. This is also in line with the city-state’s commitment to advancing online trust and safety and building a safer online ecosystem for Singapore users. 

Authorities said the additional $30m will fund the following initiatives by CATOS:

• Developing new technological capabilities to detect online harms that can be harmful to individuals and the society. This includes online hate, discrimination, harm to health and well-being, and threats to personal and community safety.
• Continuing investment in research to stay ahead of evolving challenges in the OTS space. 
• Establishing a sandbox environment to test and refine new technologies aimed at combating online harms whilst safeguarding the integrity and security of online platforms.

CATOS also announced during the forum the signing of a memorandum of understanding with Adobe to look into the implementation of content provenance technologies. This is seen to enhance the authenticity of digital content by tracing its origin. 

The centre is also working with partners such as CheckMate to address the proliferation of misinformation and scams via private messaging channels.

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“An ecosystem approach is needed, and CATOS will work closely with our partners from academia, industry, the public sector, and non-governmental organisations to develop advanced technological solutions that will contribute to realising Singapore’s vision for a safer online space for all,” CATOS Centre Director Yang Yinping said.