Six inauthentic websites blocked for potential threat of being used to mount hostile information campaigns against Singapore

1. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has identified six inauthentic websites operated by foreign actors that could be used to mount hostile information campaigns (HICs) against Singapore. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has considered MHA’s findings and is satisfied that it is necessary to issue directions to Internet Access Service Providers (IASPs) to disable access to these six inauthentic websites for users in Singapore.

2. The six websites masquerade as Singapore websites by spoofing or using terms associated with Singapore in their domain name, and carrying local news features and text. They are associated with other websites and networks which had previously been flagged by various international analysts as being inauthentic and carrying out mis- and dis-information activities.

Network of Inauthentic Websites

3. Five of the six inauthentic websites i.e. (a) singaporeheadline.com, (b) singaporeweek.com, (c) singapore24hour.com, (d) nanyangweekly.com, and (e) singaporebuzz.com are associated with a network of inauthentic news websites flagged by Google’s Threat Analysis Group ^[1] and Mandiant. All five websites were:

(a) Created on the same date (28 March 2021); and

(b) Revamped within the same period in June 2025 where the websites were not accessible for a few days before becoming live again with a different look. ^[2] Following their revamp in June 2025, it was observed that all the five websites received similar enhancements to their website and interface (e.g. new features such as a news ticker, search bar and trending now highlights etc.), to more closely resemble authentic news websites.

4. The five inauthentic websites masquerade as mainstream Singapore news websites in the following ways:

(a) The five inauthentic websites use domain names with the word “singapore” or associated terms (e.g. nanyang) and have published Singapore-related content. “Nanyangweekly.com” and “singaporebuzz.com” feature sub-headers titled “Singapore News” and “voice from Singapore” respectively, while “Singaporeheadline.com” and “singaporeweek.com” state that the website is about Singapore news.

(b) During the General Election 2025 (GE), four of the websites (i.e., “nanyangweekly.com”, “singapore24hour.com”, “singaporeheadline.com” and “singaporeweek.com”) carried GE-related news over the course of the 10-day campaign period. Notably, most of these websites were largely inactive prior to the issuance of the writ of election, and only became active after the writ was issued.

(c) Most of the Singapore-related content on the five inauthentic websites are assessed to have been taken from mainstream media outlets such as Channel NewsAsia (CNA), The Straits Times, and Mothership, as well as from foreign media outlets such as Bloomberg and Business Insider, but attributed to themselves. Such acts can mislead readers into believing that these are legitimate Singapore-related news websites and that the content published is reflective of official positions or local sentiments.

The Singapore Times

5. The last of the six inauthentic websites, “sgtimes.com”, also masquerades as a Singapore mainstream news website. Through its visual appearance and content, the website seeks to pass off as a Singapore mainstream news website:

(a) The website contains the header “The Singapore Times”, with a sub-header that reads “Singapore News and Travel”;

(b) The website predominantly carries Singapore news; and

(c) On 25 July 2025, the website posted an article titled “Singapore’s major media Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, Singapore Times”, which described “sgtimes.com” as one of Singapore’s mainstream media websites with “high monthly visits”.

6. It is a common tactic for malicious foreign actors to build seemingly credible websites to attract a local following, and subsequently use these inauthentic websites to mount HICs. We have observed overseas examples where such foreign actors have created and used inauthentic news websites to propagate false narratives and sway the target population’s sentiments to advance their own interests. The outcomes are serious: HICs can incite social tension, exploit societal fault lines, manipulate elections and electoral outcomes, as well as undermine confidence and trust in public institutions.

7. It is in the public interest to issue directions under the Broadcasting Act to disable access to these six inauthentic websites for users in Singapore. The Broadcasting Act was similarly used in October 2024 to disable access to ten inauthentic websites set up by foreign actors.

8. Singaporeans should continue to remain vigilant when accessing online content and be alert to such inauthentic websites and the threat they pose.

[1] The Google’s Threat Analysis Group (TAG) has tracked and reported on groups of websites/networks which bulk-create and operate hundreds of domains that pose as independent news websites from dozens of countries, but are in fact, publishing inauthentic content.

[2] All the five websites became dormant on 9 June 2025 before becoming active again on 17 June 2025.