Opinion | Could Singapore’s new law against fake news be one others follow?
- The proposed law has met with both praise and criticism but Singapore’s approach to regulating speech is one way; it does not aspire to be a pathfinder
- If it’s implemented right, Eugene Tan says it could be an effective counter to disinformation
Singapore’s bid to curb fake news with a proposed new anti-falsehoods law, introduced in parliament on Monday, has met with both praise and criticism.
Ultimately, however, the effect it has will boil down to how the law is implemented.
In my view, the proposed law strikes an even-handed approach between protecting responsible speech and clamping down on false speech in a no-nonsense manner. It is designed not to be censorious except in egregious cases where a take-down order is issued.
At its core, the law adopts as its starting premise that not all types of speech are deserving of equal protection. It tacitly valorises responsible speech as being necessary for a well-functioning democracy. Irresponsible speech, such as hate speech and false speech, are deemed to be unhelpful to the public discourse and accorded little or no legal protection.