Yesterday, Singapore passed a law criminalizing publication of fake news which will allow the government to block and order the removal of such content. The bill ‘The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation’ was passed by a vote of 72-9 in the Singapore parliament. This law would allow the government to demand corrections, order the removal of content, or block websites deemed to be propagating falsehoods contrary to the public interest.
Two months ago, Russia passed a new law which will allow the government to punish individuals and online media for spreading “fake” news and information which disrespects the state. In recent months, other countries like France and Germany have already passed tough laws against fake news or hate speech. Singapore is ranked 151 out of 180 countries in this year’s World Press Freedom Index.
What does the Bill cover?
‘The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill’ will give the Singapore government the power to ban fake news which can be detrimental to Singapore or can influence elections. The government can demand removal of such hurtful content or they can even block it. Offenders could face a jail term of up to 10 years and hefty fines.
Last month during a visit to Malaysia, Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had said, “fake news was a serious problem and other countries including France, Germany and Australia were legislating to combat it”. He added Singapore’s proposed laws “will be a significant step forward” and “We’ve deliberated on this now for almost two years. What we have done has worked for Singapore, it is our objective to continue to do things which will work for Singapore.”
Reactions to the Bill
Under the proposed legislation, all of Singapore government’s ministers will be handed powers to demand corrections or order websites to be blocked if they are found to be propagating “falsehoods” contrary to the public interest.
Very few people have praised the law, as there are many who believe that this law will target ‘Free Speech’ more than ‘Fake News’.
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights said, “Singapore’s new ‘fake news’ law is a disaster for online expression by ordinary #Singaporeans, and a hammer blow against the independence of many online news portals they rely on to get real news about their country beyond the ruling People’s Action Party political filter”. He added, “You’re basically giving the autocrats another weapon to restrict speech, and speech is pretty restricted in the region already.”
Social media firms have strongly criticized the law which hurt freedom of speech by forcing social media platforms to censor users in order to avoid potential fines. Google, Facebook, and Twitter have voiced their reservations regarding the ‘Fake News bill’.
According to Reuters news, Google which has its Asia headquarters in Singapore, said it was “concerned that this law will hurt innovation” and that “how the law is implemented matters.”
Though authorities around the world are of the opinion that laws to restrict ‘Fake News’ are the need of the hour. It would be good if they would have decide what’s worse, some fake news on the web or some big daddy deciding what is right for the people.
To know more details about the bill, read the document release.
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