The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is trialling an e-commerce surveillance tool to crack down on contraband products sold online.

Developed by the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX), it uses robotic process automation and artificial intelligence to trawl through listings.

The bot targets contraband items such as illegal drugs, health products and cosmetics. It can even spot unauthorised Covid-19 test kits and vaccines.

From January to May, the HSA removed more than 3,200 listings of illicit health products from local e-commerce platforms via this semi-automated process.

Previously, officers had to sift through each listing manually and analyse information on each item one at a time. With the bot, the work can be done in a matter of hours, instead of weeks.

The bot analyses information from the listings - including pictures, descriptions and profiles - to identify illegal products, and flags those that contain illegal or dangerous ingredients.

Enforcement officers can then focus on reviewing flagged items and removing them promptly.

The bot was developed by HTX within three months and the HSA began its trial on July 8. It will be tested for a month before being fine-tuned and fully deployed.

Ms Annie Tan, director of the enforcement branch at the HSA's health product regulation group, said the bot was a welcome innovation for enforcement officers.

"With the rise in online transactions on e-commerce platforms comes the increasing risk of illicit health products being sold and bought online," she noted.

Mr Yuen Shao Wei, director of the Data Science and AI Centre of Expertise at HTX, said surveillance of contraband products is an arduous task.

"Enforcement officers have to carefully examine the listing and, at times, look out for combinations of different substances and chemicals that could put consumers in danger," he said, adding that the bot allows officers to carry out their work "faster and smarter".

HTX said the bot is also being customised for other Home Team agencies to assist them in solving crimes and enhancing public safety.