Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Preventing Fake News or Unhappiness on Race and Religion Matters on Social Media

Question:

Mr Lim Biow Chuan: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what are the plans by the Police to prevent extreme right-wing influencers from spreading fake news or stirring up unhappiness on race and religious matters using the social media platforms.

Answer:

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

1. The Government has in place laws to enforce against behaviour that erodes our social cohesion, including hate and offensive speech of a racial or religious nature. These apply both offline and online.

2. One key legislation is the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act (MRHA). We can issue Restraining Orders under the MRHA to immediately take down religiously inflammatory online material. Restraining Orders can also require the individuals to stop undertaking communications activity related to religiously offensive material, including removing any materials posted on the Internet.

3. The Ministry of Home Affairs has announced plans to introduce the Maintenance of Racial Harmony Bill, which will provide for a similar Restraining Order regime for threats against our racial harmony.

4. There are other laws that help set the boundaries of what is unacceptable conduct:

5. The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) can issue Directions under the Broadcasting Act to disable egregious content on social media services from being able to reach Singapore users. This includes content likely to cause feelings of hatred or

hostility against different racial or religious groups in Singapore.

6. The Online Criminal Harms Act allows the Government to issue Directions to online services, including social media platforms, when there is reasonable suspicion that an online activity is criminal in nature. This includes activities that threaten racial or religious harmony.

7. The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act allows us to swiftly address online falsehoods, which if left unchecked, can engender hate, xenophobia, and societal discord.

8. Apart from laws and regulations, there is also a need to foster social norms for respectful online behaviour and discourse. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth works closely with community partners to encourage ground-up projects that promote racial and religious harmony. IMDA and its partners such as the Media Literacy Council provide resources under the Digital Skills for Life framework, to impart skills on how to use the Internet responsibly.