People See One Brand. The Internet May Show Them Hundreds More.
The gap between what organisations control and what people trust may be larger than many realise.
SINGAPORE, 7 September 2026 – Every day, consumers decide whether to trust a website, email, link or digital service. What they rarely see is where an organisation's official digital presence ends and similar-looking identities begin.
For most people, trust is not determined by ownership records or technical boundaries. It is shaped by what appears familiar, legitimate and connected to the organisation they believe they are engaging with. As digital interactions continue to grow, the gap between what organisations control and what people trust may become increasingly important.
The inaugural ONESESCURE's The State of Digital Trust in Singapore 2026 found that each reference organisation domain was associated with a median of 151 similar-looking domains across the public internet. The study analysed 120,702 distinct lookalike domains associated with 448 reference organisation domains and found that 82% had observable internet or email infrastructure, or both. While this does not indicate malicious activity, it demonstrates how external identities can possess the technical characteristics needed to establish an online presence that people may encounter and interact with.
While organisations typically have visibility over the websites, systems and accounts they own, customers, employees and members of the public make trust decisions based on what they encounter online. Similar-looking identities can exist beyond those organisational boundaries, creating a broader challenge around how trust is recognised, monitored and governed.
"People don't experience organisations through asset inventories or security diagrams. They experience them through names, emails, websites and links," said Edmund How, Managing Director of ONESECURE Asia. "The findings suggest organisations may need to think differently about trust. The challenge is no longer just securing what belongs to you. It's understanding what exists around you, recognising when an external identity becomes relevant, and having a consistent way to determine when action is needed."
The report found external identity exposure across multiple sectors, including financial services, healthcare, education, public services, transportation and information services, suggesting the issue is not confined to any single industry.
While the findings are drawn from a Singapore-focused dataset, the underlying question is relevant wherever people rely on digital identities to access services, conduct transactions and engage with organisations online regardless of geography.
Understanding and monitoring that broader identity landscape may become an important part of how organisations safeguard trust, protect reputation and fulfil their responsibilities to the people they serve.
If Singapore's benchmark is 151 distinct lookalike domains per organisation, what could yours be? The question is not simply what your organisation owns, but whether you understand the wider identity landscape that exists around it.
Media Contact
May Tan
Marketing Manager
Phone: +65 6978 6688
