logo
How is Singapore's fake news law applied?

How is Singapore's fake news law applied?

Singapore wrapped up its general election earlier this month without a single correction order issued against fake news, but a resurfaced case of a candidate being misquoted on the campaign trail has sparked discussion on how the city state's misinformation law is applied.
The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) introduced in 2019 and an election advertising bill – enforced just in time for the May 3 poll – guard against misinformation and digitally manipulated content, respectively, in Singapore.
Under Pofma, ministers, or alternate authorities for them during general elections, can issue directions to individuals to put up correction notices online to rectify falsehoods, classified as a statement of fact that was false or misleading, if this is in the 'public interest'.
Analysts told This Week in Asia the definition of 'public interest' meant that Pofma did not apply to all forms of misinformation, therefore, in the nine-day sprint to the recent election, the lack of any orders did not mean there had been no fake news.
(From left) Workers' Party candidates Jamus Lim, Siti Alia Abdul Rahim Mattar, Harpreet Singh, Alexis Dang and Jackson Au attend a rally ahead of the general election in Singapore on April 28. Photo: Reuters
An example of misinformation that was not flagged by authorities but by private parties was the misquoting of opposition Workers' Party (WP) candidate Siti Alia Abdul Rahim Mattar by pro-establishment Facebook page Singapore Matters.
In a since-deleted post, the page published a picture of Alia, quoting her as having said: 'The Israel-Palestine conflict was more important than bread-and-butter issues.'

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Philippine Senate delays Sara Duterte impeachment trial for constitutional review
Philippine Senate delays Sara Duterte impeachment trial for constitutional review

South China Morning Post

time4 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Philippine Senate delays Sara Duterte impeachment trial for constitutional review

Philippine senators on Tuesday voted to send an impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte back to the lower house for clarification, just hours after convening a trial that could see her banned from politics for life. Advertisement After a series of debates among members that included a motion presented by a Duterte ally to dismiss the case, the Senators voted in favour of returning it to the lower house to certify that the complaint was constitutional. The lower house in February voted to impeach the vice president for alleged high crimes and betrayal of the public trust, allegations she has vehemently denied. A majority of the senators on Tuesday approved a motion to return the case to confirm the complaint did not violate the constitution and the next session of Congress was 'willing and ready' to pursue the impeachment complaint following midterm elections in May. The decision could be a stay of execution for Duterte, a likely contender to be the next president, in a trial that could be a pivotal moment in Philippine politics. The outcome of the trial could not only make or break Duterte, but also carries big implications for President Ferdinand Marcos Jnr and his agenda for the remaining three years of his presidency and beyond. The impeachment accusations against Duterte range from budget anomalies to amassing unusual wealth and threatening the lives of Marcos, his wife, and the house speaker. Philippine senators are seated after taking their oath as jurors in the impeachment trial of Vice-President Sara Duterte, in Manila on Tuesday. Photo: AFP She rejects the allegations and on Tuesday, her office said the impeachment process had been weaponised.

Hongkongers warned not to download mobile game ‘promoting secessionist agenda'
Hongkongers warned not to download mobile game ‘promoting secessionist agenda'

South China Morning Post

time7 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Hongkongers warned not to download mobile game ‘promoting secessionist agenda'

Hong Kong police have warned residents against downloading a mobile game application advocating Hong Kong and Taiwanese independence or risk breaking national security laws. The force also said on Tuesday that action had been taken under the Beijing-imposed national security law to allow police to require the relevant electronic platforms to remove access to the game Reversed Front: Bonfire, which was developed by ESC Taiwan and released in April. Individuals who downloaded the app could be considered in possession of a seditious publication, contravening domestic security legislation, the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance, police said. It added that those who provided money or financial assistance to the game's developer, including making in-app purchases, with the intent to fund it acts of secession or subversion of state power, also risk committing an offence under the national security law. 'Reversed Front: Bonfire was released under the guise of a game with the aim of promoting secessionist agendas such as 'Taiwan independence' and 'Hong Kong independence', advocating armed revolution and the overthrow of the fundamental system of the People's Republic of China [PRC] established by the constitution of the People's Republic of China,' national security police said. 'It also has an intention to provoke hatred towards the central authorities and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.' Police added that anyone or any organisation that knowingly published the application, including sharing or recommending it online, would also risk contravening offences of inciting secession and subversion under the national security law, as well as seditious intention offences in the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance.

Ong Beng Seng, Singapore F1 tycoon, to plead guilty in Iswaran case
Ong Beng Seng, Singapore F1 tycoon, to plead guilty in Iswaran case

South China Morning Post

time8 hours ago

  • South China Morning Post

Ong Beng Seng, Singapore F1 tycoon, to plead guilty in Iswaran case

Property tycoon Ong Beng Seng, who faces two charges in relation to former transport minister S Iswaran's case, is set to plead guilty in court on July 3. Advertisement This was after a pre-trial conference for Ong's case took place on Tuesday. Court records did not state if he would be pleading guilty to both charges or one charge, and if so, which one. His bail, which is set at S$800,000 (US$620,000), was extended. Ong, 79, has been undergoing chemotherapy for bone marrow cancer. He previously obtained permission to travel abroad for medical-related purposes. He was originally set to plead guilty on April 2, but this was rescheduled after he asked for time to obtain more detailed medical reports from his doctors. Advertisement Two people close to Ong previously confirmed his condition to CNA Digital, with one saying he has multiple myeloma.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store