Singapore Passes Law to Combat ‘Fake News’
Now with the law in hand, ministers are planning to order social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to put warnings next to posts authorities consider to be fake and in extreme cases get them down from the digital network.
The Parliament of Singapore has recently passed a law that will combat ‘fake news’, despite criticism from the tech giants, rights group and media. The new law empowers the government authorities to take extreme steps against those who create and spread fake news.
Now with the law in hand, ministers are planning to order social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to put warnings next to posts authorities consider to be fake and in extreme cases get them down from the digital network. The government has also made it clear that the new law targets only false statements and posts, not opinions.
Singapore’s Law and home affairs minister K.Shanmugam, addressing the Parliament said that the tech companies could not be allowed to regulate themselves. He said, “This is serious business. Technology companies will now say many things to try and advocate their position. But we have to show them that we are fair, but also firm”.
Under this law, if any content is found to be malicious and damaging to Singapore's interests, the government can also impose fines up to Singapore dollars 1 million ($735,000) on the companies and individuals who are found spreading fake news could land up in jail for 10 years.
The passing of the law has already sparked widespread outrage from various rights groups, who fear that the move could stifle online discussion and the effect on tech companies with major bases in the financial hub and journalist organisations is going to harm the respective business too.
Nicholas Bequelin, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southeast Asia says, the legislation “gives the Singapore authorities unchecked powers to clamp down on online views of which it disapproves”. He also added, “It criminalizes free speech and also allows the government almost unfettered power to censor dissent. The law doesn’t even provide any clear definition of what is true or false or, even more worrying, misleading”.
The law has been passed after it was debated for two days in the Parliament, which is now dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party, thereby passing it as a law, late Wednesday. A small opposition, Workers Party that has only six elected members in the 89-seat Parliament, only opposed the law.
The Asia Internet Coalition has described it as the “most far-reaching legislation of its kind to date”. The Asia Internet Coalition is an industry association whose members also include all the prominent tech companies, Facebook, Google and Twitter.