Singapore Strengthens SNS Regulations... Mandatory Removal of Harmful Content and Access Blocking

Civic Group Strongly Criticizes Government for Suppressing Press Freedom
2022 World Press Freedom Index Ranks 139th

[Asia Economy Reporter Bang Je-il] The Singapore government is facing controversy after passing a bill that allows it to order social networking service (SNS) companies to delete harmful content. According to the bill, if SNS companies do not comply with deletion orders from the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), they can be fined up to $715,000 (approximately 980 million KRW).

On the 10th, AFP reported that Singapore passed a bill granting authorities the power to order SNS platforms to remove content related to self-harm, sexual exploitation, terrorism, violence, and hate. The IMDA can also order platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube to block access for Singaporean users.

Josephine Teo, Singapore’s Minister for Communications and Information, said, "The likelihood of encountering harmful content on SNS through algorithms has increased," adding, "We must be able to block Singaporean users from accessing harmful content." She cited incidents such as a 14-year-old British girl who made an extreme choice after viewing suicide-related content on SNS and accidents caused by imitating impossible stunt scenes as examples underscoring the need for the bill.

Civil society groups and others have intensified criticism that the government’s regulation suppresses freedom of the press. Singapore had already implemented the 'Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act' (Pofma), known as the 'Fake News Law,' in 2019.

Under the 'Fake News Law' enacted at that time, the government can order IT companies like Facebook or Twitter and SNS users to delete news or posts deemed false or to publish corrections. It can also order the blocking of the relevant accounts. Human rights organizations and IT companies opposed the law, arguing it could suppress freedom of the press, and opposition parties criticized it as a tool to gag dissenting voices.

Singapore is the country where citizens trust their mainstream media the most. The Straits Times, a major domestic newspaper, received a 77% trust rating from citizens in a 2020 survey conducted by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. The high trust in Singapore’s newspaper industry paradoxically indicates the strong government control over the press.

Singapore has grown into a developed country by exercising strong government authority to control society, but freedom of the press and expression remain suppressed. According to the Singapore Newspaper and Printing Presses Act established in 1974, editors or owners cannot publish newspapers without approval from the Minister for Communications and Information. The license is valid for only one year and can be revoked permanently or for a period deemed appropriate at the minister’s discretion at any time.

According to the '2022 World Press Freedom Index' released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) around May, Singapore ranked 139th out of 180 countries, recording a very low level of press freedom.