(Bloomberg) -- Singapore is planning to introduce a law to halt the spread of “fake news,” asking websites to correct erroneous information or even remove articles in extreme cases, according to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
The bill is expected to give more power to the government to hold online outlets more accountable if they're deemed to have deliberately delivered false news. The measures will include requiring them to show corrections or display warnings about online falsehoods so that readers or viewers can see all sides and come to their own conclusions.
Also read: Singapore Assails Facebook for Refusal to Remove Post on Premier
“We are open and English speaking, our mobile and internet penetration rate is high, and being a multiracial, multi-ethnic society, we have enduring fault lines that can be easily exploited,” Lee said in a speech at an event Friday posted on the prime minister's office website. “If we do not protect ourselves, hostile parties will find it a simple matter to turn different groups against one another and cause disorder in our society.”
The city-state lashed out at social media giant Facebook Inc. last year, calling the company unreliable after it declined a request to remove a post that linked the premier and Singapore with allegations related to embattled Malaysian state fund 1MDB. The government said then that Facebook's decision to not remove malicious information on the country shows the need for legislation.
To contact the reporter on this story: Sharon Cho in Singapore at ccho28@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joyce Koh at jkoh38@bloomberg.net, Tom Redmond, Ville Heiskanen
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