Second round of Pofma sanctions for owner of The Online Citizen's website, social media accounts
This is the second time that The Online Citizen has been slapped with the declaration, with its first due to expire in July 2025. - The Online Citizen/Facebook via ST/ANN
SINGAPORE: The people running The Online Citizen's (TOC) website, Facebook, Instagram and X pages will continue to be barred from deriving any financial benefits from the running of its platforms till 2027.
In a statement on June 11, the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said TOC's website and social media pages – which were labelled as Declared Online Locations (DOLs) – had first been declared as such in July 2023, and were due to expire on July 21, 2025.
DOLs have to comply with actions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) that would prevent their operator from financially benefiting during the period they are listed as one.
However, said MDDI, TOC 'continued to communicate falsehoods through its online platforms over the past two years'.
Between July 2023 and June 2025, it received eight correction directions under the fake news law.
These included one in February 25, after TOC published an article about modification works at the Ridout Road colonial bungalow leased by Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam's wife.
In its article, it said the Singapore Land Authority had given Shanmugam assurances of a lease extension beyond its 2027 expiry, and that public funds were used to pay for the earthworks carried out at the bungalow since 2024, among other claims. These are falsehoods, said MDDI.
As a result, TOC's website and social media pages have again been labelled DOLs, a move necessary 'to ensure Singaporeans continue to be alerted to TOC's record of communicating falsehoods', said the ministry.
The new declaration comes into effect immediately after the current direction expires and will remain till July 21, 2027 at 12pm.
TOC will be able to continue its operations, but will have to carry a notice on its online platforms to notify its audience that it has been declared a DOL.
The notice will also have to state that it had 'communicated multiple falsehoods' and that its viewers should exercise caution when accessing it for information.
MDDI added that service providers, including digital advertising agencies, will have to take steps to ensure that their paid content on TOC's platforms are not made available in Singapore.
'Individuals and companies must also not provide financial support to TOC's DOLs to avoid promoting the communication of falsehoods in Singapore on these platforms,' it added.
At present, there are three other outlets currently listed as DOLs. They are Transformative Justice Collective's website and social media pages, Gutzy Asia's website and social media pages, as well as opposition politician Kenneth Jeyaretnam's website and social media pages.
A provision under Pofma allows the Government to order an internet intermediary to disable access to a DOL if the owner of the DOL does not comply with the declaration and paid content on the site continues to be displayed to users here.
If an internet intermediary fails to comply and is convicted, it can be fined up to S$20,000 (US$15,545) for each day that the government order is not fully complied with, up to a total of $500,000.
The owner or operator of a DOL can however apply to the Minister for Digital Development and Information to suspend, vary or cancel the declaration. If the minister refuses the application, an appeal can be made to the High Court. - The Straits Times/ANN
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