Singapore's so-called "fake news" law took effect Oct. 2, following concerns from social media giants and debate by the local parliament.
The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019, which was passed May 8 and introduced April 1, requires websites and print publications to add warnings or corrections alongside statements the government deems false. The bill also gives the government authority to remove comments or posts that are deemed against public interest.
Companies who fail to comply with the law could be fined up to S$1 million under the law, while individuals could be subject to a S$100,000 fine and up to 10 years in prison. Under the law, the government can also tell internet access providers or intermediary service providers to block access to offending websites or they will be slapped with a fine of up to S$20,000 for each day they do not comply, up to a total of S$500,000.
Singapore's minister for communications and information added in an Oct. 1 statement that the legislation will give "temporary exemptions" to internet subsidiaries including Alphabet Inc.'s Google LLC, Twitter Inc., Facebook Inc., Baidu Inc. and Wechat International Pte. Ltd. to give them "time to put in place the necessary arrangements and technological measures to enable them to comply with certain requirements of the act."
The minister has also appointed the Info-communications Media Development Authority to be the "competent authority" for purposes related to the bill, according to an Oct. 1 statement issued by Singapore's government electronic gazette.
Before the bill was passed, tech giants Google, Twitter and Facebook, as well as human rights groups and Singapore's lone opposition party, had voiced their concerns about the bill. One of the main objections to the law was that government ministers would be able to decide which comments are acceptable.
Facebook, Twitter and Google's Asia headquarters are in Singapore.
