SINGAPORE – Singapore has proposed Southeast Asia’s pioneering framework enabling the 11 ASEAN nations to trace scam calls and SMS back to their origins, addressing a critical gap in regional anti-fraud efforts. Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo highlighted the initiative following the sixth ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting in Hanoi on January 16, emphasizing its role in tackling scams at their source through cross-border telecom cooperation.
Traceback systems utilize call detail records, logs of routing paths and network identifiers, to follow suspicious communications backward from the victim’s telco to the originating subscriber or SIM, even across spoofed numbers and multiple networks. “This requires international cooperation, as it concerns networks in other jurisdictions,” Teo stated, adding Singapore’s willingness to share data originating locally while seeking reciprocity.
The proposal forms part of the newly endorsed ASEAN Guide on Anti-Scam Policies and Best Practices, which stresses full telco participation for effectiveness, as each provider holds only upstream links. Benefits include refined blocking techniques, evidentiary support for enforcement, and inspiration from models like the US Industry Traceback Group, where carriers respond within 24 hours, aiding takedowns of massive robocall operations.
The ministers also adopted Enhanced ASEAN Guidelines for Strengthening Resilience and Repair of Submarine Cables, updating 2019 standards with global best practices to protect the infrastructure carrying 99% of international internet traffic. Singapore will follow up to assess member states’ reactions, with the Infocomm Media Development Authority noting greater cross-border involvement boosts traceback efficacy.