Singapore to introduce anti-fake news law, allowing removal of articles

Singapore is set to introduce a new anti-fake news law, allowing authorities in the city-state to remove articles deemed to breach government regulations.

The law, being read in parliament today, will stoke fears that Singapore’s authoritarian government will further stifle dissent in an already tightly-controlled media environment.

Facebook, Twitter and Google have Asia headquarters in Singapore, with the companies expected to be under increased pressure to aid the law’s implementation.

On Friday Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong suggested that the law would tackle the country’s growing problem of online misinformation. It follows an examination of fake news in Singapore by a parliamentary committee last year, which concluded that the city-state was a “target of hostile information campaigns”.

Lee said the law will require media outlets to correct fake news articles, and “show corrections or display warnings about online falsehoods so that readers or viewers can see all sides and make up their own minds about the matter.”

“In extreme and urgent cases, the legislation will also require online news sources to take down fake news before irreparable damage is done,” he said.

Last week Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg called for more regulation of social media by governments. However, last year Facebook representatives told the Singapore committee that the company opposed fake news legislation in the city-state.

...the city-state to remove articles deemed to breach government regulations.