Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on MHA’s Assessment of Disinformation Campaigns Targeted at Singapore Residents in Relation to the Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Question:

Mr Alex Yam: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the Ministry’s assessment of disinformation campaigns in relation to the Russia-Ukraine conflict to influence Singaporeans’ views; and (b) how does the Ministry safeguard Singaporeans against efforts to divide opinions over this and other issues.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1.   The Ministry of Home Affairs has previously provided our reply to a similar PQ filed for the 4 April Sitting. To date, the Government has not detected a coordinated hostile information campaign (HIC) targeted specifically at Singapore. Nevertheless, the Member’s question is opportune to remind us that we should continue to be vigilant against efforts to draw Singaporeans into inauthentic discussions online, and that these efforts seek to otherwise influence or divide us through hearsay, rumours, half-truths or misleading statements. The Government will continue with its efforts to build up a well-informed and discerning public through various public education efforts that strengthen our information and media literacy skills, so that we know how to discern the veracity of information that we encounter online.