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May 27, 2022 · The Government had in April last year warned about fake messages and unfounded rumours circulating related to Covid-19. Part of the problem has also been the gaps in information, given how new...
Nov 22, 2018 · Singapore hasn’t been spared from fake news. Here are some examples in recent years. Fake news can cause public health scares, sow discord within various groups in society, and cause time and resources to be wasted.
Dec 2, 2021 · The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) has been invoked 33 times since 2019, with 19 cases involving false claims about Covid-19 vaccines and mask supplies. Minister for Communications and Information Josephine Teo said the law has helped to build trust and achieve high vaccination coverage, and that Singapore engages with tech giants on online harm issues.
Jan 28, 2022 · SINGAPORE - There is a disconnect between how confident people here are in spotting fake news and their ability to actually do so amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to findings from a study...
- Contents Menu
- What Is Pofma and What Does It Cover?
- What Can Happen If A Falsehood Has Been communicated?
- What Can Happen to Websites That Repeatedly Spread Misinformation Or Falsehoods?
- How Does Pofma Deal with Fake Accounts Or Bots That Spread Falsehoods?
- Can An Appeal Be Made Against A Pofma Direction Or Order?
- How to Appeal Against A Direction Or Order Under Pofma
- What Happens If The Falsehood Had Originated from Overseas?
- What Are The Codes of Practice Under The Pofma and How Will They Be implemented?
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POFMA seeks to prevent the electronic communication of falsehoods (i.e. false statements of fact or misleading information), as well as to safeguard against the use of online platforms for the communication of such falsehoods. POFMA also puts in place various measures to counteract the effects of such communication and to prevent the misuse of onli...
Part 3 Directions
If a falsehood has been communicated, the Minister can issue Directions found in Part 3 of the POFMA (i.e. Part 3 Directions) if it is in the public interest to do so. Non-compliance with a Part 3 Direction is an offence that individuals can be fined up to S$20,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 12 months. For non-individuals, they may be liable to a fine up to S$500,000. In addition, individuals who knowingly communicate falsehoods online, and do so through a fake account or bot, may be subject...
Correction Direction
This requires the party who communicated the falsehood to put up a notice stating: 1. That the falsehood communicated previously was false; and/or 2. A correction to the falsehood and/or where such a correction can be found. The correction notice may also be required to be placed online, or to be published in a Singapore newspaper or other publication. The notice will still need to be published even if the party who communicated the falsehood had already taken down the content containing the...
Stop Communication Direction
Under a Stop Communication Direction, a person is required to take the necessary steps to ensure that the falsehood communicated is no longer available on, or through, the internet to end-users in Singapore, including – if necessary – the removal of the falsehood from an online location by a specified time. Such steps may include stopping the publication, sharing or posting of the falsehood in Singapore. The person may also be required to communicate and publish a correction notice in the man...
Declaration of an Online Location
Section 32 of the POFMAenables a Minister to declare an online location, or website, as a declared online location. The Declaration may specify the online location by way of its URL, domain name or any other unique identifier. Declarations will also be published in the Government Gazette. In addition, under section 32(3)(f) of the POFMA, the Declaration may also require the owner or operator of the online location to communicate, and make known, to users who access the online location a notic...
Access Blocking Order
An Access Blocking Order may be issued where: 1. Paid content included on a declared online location is communicated in Singapore, or the owner or operator of a declared online location failed to include a notice that the online location is the subject of a Declaration; and 2. The Minister is satisfied that after the date on which the Declaration of an Online Location came into effect, one or more end-users in Singapore have used, or are using the services of an internet access service provid...
Account Restriction Direction
Under Part 6 of the POFMA, any Minister may issue an Account Restriction Direction to order an internet intermediary to shut down any fake accounts and bots on its platforms. In determining whether an online account is fake or is controlled by a bot, the Minister must have regard to the following factors, as stated under section 40(4) of the POFMA: 1. Whether any information used in creating the online account relates to a country or territory that is different from the country or territory t...
Aggravated penalties for using fake accounts or bots to communicate falsehoods
An individual who knowingly communicates a falsehood online, and does so through a fake account or bot, can be fined up to S$100,000 and/or face a term of imprisonment of up to 10 years. Non-individuals can be fined up to S$1 million. Individuals who make or alter a bot for the purposes of communicating a falsehood can face a fine of up to S$30,000 and/or a term of imprisonment of up to 3 years. Non-individuals can face a fine of up to S$500,000.
If an individual or company wants to appeal against a Direction or order issued under the POFMA, they must first apply to the Minister who issued the Direction or order to cancel it. If the Minister refuses to do so, then an appeal may be made to the General Division of the High Court to overturn the Direction or order. The individual or company th...
1. Apply to the Minister to have the direction or order cancelled
If an individual or organisation wants to appeal against a Direction or order issued under the POFMA, they must first apply to the Minister who issued the Direction or order to cancel it. More information on the application process, and the download link to the application form, can be found on the POFMA Office website. The Minister has 2 working days to decide whether to allow the appeal against his Direction or order. If the appeal is allowed, the Minister will issue a notice of his decisio...
2. If the application to the Minister is refused, file an appeal to the High Court
If the Minister refuses the application, then an appeal may be made to the High Court to overturn the Direction or order. The appellant will need to file an originating application and a supporting affidavitin court within 2 weeks of the refusal. The forms for these documents can be found in the First Schedule of the Supreme Court of Judicature (Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation) Rules 2019, and they can be filed at the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureaus. The appellant mus...
3. Serve the appeal documents on the Attorney-General
After the High Court has accepted the appellant’s documents, the appellant is also required to serve them on the Attorney-General by 12pm the next working day. This can be done by: 1. Emailing the documents to AGC_POFMA@agc.gov.sg; 2. Filing them through the LawNet & CrimsonLogic Service Bureaus; or 3. Leaving copies of the documents in an envelope marked “POFMA APPEAL” at the reception counter of the Attorney-General’s Chambers. After the appellant has served their documents on the Attorney-...
If a falsehood had originated from an overseas source but is being communicated in Singapore, it will still fall under the purview of POFMA, which applies to communications of falsehoods in Singapore.
Under section 48 of the POFMA, codes of practice can be issued to prevent online platforms from being used to spread falsehoods. According to then-Communications and Information Minister S. Iswaran, these codes of practice have 3 aims: 1. To prevent and counter the misuse of online accounts by malicious actors who can hide behind them by remaining ...
Learn about the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), which aims to prevent the electronic communication of falsehoods in Singapore. Find out what constitutes a falsehood, what are the penalties and remedies, and how to appeal against a POFMA direction or order.
Oct 3, 2020 · How has the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) tackled online falsehoods since it came into force in October 2019? The law has issued 51 correction directions, 11 targeted correction directions, four declared online locations, three disabling orders, one general correction direction and one access blocking order.
Jan 12, 2021 · Singapore's vaccination programme should keep an eye on vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, say NTU’s Edson C Tandoc Jr, Kim Hye Kyung, Edmund WJ Lee and Zhang Hao Goh.
