Parliament: Ministers to decide what is fake news under proposed law

The Government will make the decision on what is deemed false under proposed laws to fight the spread of online falsehoods.

Once the false content is deemed to be harmful to public interest, the minister will work with the competent authority in the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore on the action to take. For instance, he can order corrections to run alongside the false content or ask for it to be taken down.Each minister will deal with falsehoods under his or her domain.

For instance, something is deemed to be in the public interest if it is in the interest of Singapore's security, has to do with the protection of public health or finances, and is in the interest of friendly relations with other countries, among other things. Ministers must devolve their powers to senior civil servants during these periods, and must do so before an election is called.

Other scenarios: to prevent influence on the outcome of an election or a referendum; to prevent incitement of feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different groups of persons; or to prevent a diminution of public confidence in public institutions.For action to be taken, there are two criteria that must be met: There must be a false statement of fact, and it must also be in the public interest.

The Ministry of Law said research has shown that corrections work, and are an important antidote to falsehoods. Website owners will have to ensure that those who previously read the falsehood also see the correction.

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