Singapore introduces anti-fake news law to counter falsehoods aimed at ‘exploiting’ the city’s ‘fault lines’
- The proposed law steps up existing powers the government has to compel news outlets to display corrections or disclaimers about falsehoods in published content
Among the proposed measures are penalties of up to 10 years’ jail time and S$1 million (US$738,500) in fines for the most severe cases of fake news propagation.
Explained: fake news in Asia
Legal action will be taken when the “deliberate online falsehood” meets two criteria: when there is dissemination of a false statement of fact, and when such action is deemed in the public interest, the law ministry said in a statement.
The law ministry cited a false statement that the government had declared war on its neighbours as an example of a “false statement of fact”. It said the bill was not targeting opinion, criticism, satire or parody.
The introduction of the Protection From Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill followed rare public hearings last year on the fake news threat.
The eight-day parliamentary select committee hearing at the time faced criticism for the way some officials had appeared overly eager to push through fresh legislation even though some experts had testified it should not be seen as the definitive cure to the problem.