On TikTok, anonymous accounts seek to sway views in Singapore

The Straits Times, page A14 - https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/on-tiktok-anonymous-accounts-seek-to-sway-views-in-singapore-over-russian-invasion-of-ukraine

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As Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues into its fourth week, an increasing number of comments supportive of Russia have emerged in response to videos shared by users here. A spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs told The Straits Times: "Singapore authorities have been keeping a close watch for possible hostile information campaigns directed at Singapore, in relation to the conflict in Ukraine.”

Assoc Prof Alton Chua from NTU said: "So long as there is some scope to stir up controversies, we can expect to see some level of information operation used against us from time to time." He added: "As technology advances, bots are becoming more human-like. The ability to differentiate bots from actual users is no longer trivial, and sustained interaction may sometimes be required before a bot gives itself away." Dr Shashi Jayakumar from RSIS, who has studied information operations, said a bot attack is a possibility. "It may well be that there is some orchestration or coordinated activity at work."