​Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill: Individuals who spread falsehoods may be ordered to publish corrections

Lianhe Wanbao, 2 Apr, page 4

The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill was tabled in Parliament on April 1, officially launching Singapore’s legislative procedure to tackle online falsehoods. Prof Ang Peng Hwa from NTU Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information said that most governments would choose to remove or block falsehoods to prevent it from continuing to mislead the public. Singapore’s requirement to publish a correction is believed to be unique worldwide. Prof Ang added that when the fake news is removed, people who did not see it will never know that it is fake when they see the same information next time and may believe in it. In contrast, by posting a correction on the fake news that is left online at the same time, people will know that it is fake and will not be fooled next time.