London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

Singapore orders Facebook to comply with fake news law and ‘correct’ dissident’s post

The Lion City demands social media giant correct a post by Australia-based blogger Alex Tan Zhi Xiang on his ‘States Times Review’ page. The development potentially sets up a showdown between the Singapore government and Facebook
The Singapore government on Friday invoked one of the most controversial parts of its new ‘fake news’ law to order Facebook to correct a post by an Australia-based dissident, after the blogger refused its demands to comply with what he described as an “unjust law”.

The office in charge of administering the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation (POFMA) Act said the home and law minister K. Shanmugam had instructed it to issue a “targeted correction direction” to Facebook.

The order requires Facebook to publish a correction notice on a November 23 post by the ‘States Times Review’ page run by the blogger Alex Tan Zhi Xiang.

If the social media giant fails to comply, it is liable for a fine not exceeding S$1 million (US$731,905), and a further S$100,000 for each additional day of non-compliance after conviction.

This Week in Asia understands that Facebook is reviewing the order.

Singaporean lawyer Chooi Jing Yen, a partner at the law firm Eugene Thuraisingham LLP, said non-compliance would “obviously be a breach of POFMA” unless the technology company could provide a “reasonable excuse” as set out in the law.

The POFMA Office also said it had commenced investigations against Tan for failing to comply with the order issued to him on Thursday.

The post, according to the government, peddled multiple falsehoods, including the assertion that Shanmugam had ordered the arrest of the person behind a separate Facebook post the minister’s office had slammed as inaccurate last weekend.

“These claims are false and baseless,” the POFMA Office had said on Thursday.

The post could still be found on the States Times Review Facebook page, with a new line added: “The Singapore government claimed that no arrest was made. This runs contrary to the tip off we received.”

Under the law, all cabinet ministers can issue a “Part 4 Direction” to social media companies and internet service providers if an individual does not comply with a “Part 3 Direction” to correct or take down posts with false statement of facts.

The Singapore government enacted the law despite criticism at home and abroad that it would further chill dissent in the tightly governed country, claiming that tough legislation was required to quash a rising global tide of online falsehoods that have implications for national security and social peace.

The latest development potentially sets up a showdown between the Singapore government and Facebook, which has given no assurances that it will comply with being asked to alter end users’ content.

POFMA came into effect on October 2, after Singapore’s parliament – in which the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) has a supermajority – approved the law in May.

The PAP, led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, has rejected claims that the law will be used to restrict political discussions online ahead of a general election expected to be called next year.

The latest orders follow the POFMA office’s issuance of a correction direction to opposition politician Brad Bowyer on Monday – the first time ever the law had been invoked.

Bowyer immediately complied with the order and amended his November 13 Facebook post, which questioned the independence of the country’s two main state investment companies.

Chooi, the Singaporean lawyer, said the government’s next steps in dealing with Facebook was of particular interest.

“The more interesting question is whether and how the Singapore government will pursue this, because the issue of whether Facebook has indeed failed to comply without reasonable excuse is for the Singapore court to decide,” said Chooi.
“The Singapore government would first have to institute formal proceedings against Facebook, which may perhaps be met with a jurisdictional objection of sorts.”

If Facebook does not comply, Benjamin Joshua Ong, an assistant professor law at the Singapore Management University, said an immediate term measure available to the government would be to order internet service providers to block access to Tan’s post.

The city state last November clashed with Facebook over content by Tan, who previously contested general elections as an opposition candidate and who now lives in Australia.

At the time – before POFMA came into force – the government asked Facebook to take down a post that falsely alleged that Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was involved in Malaysia’s multibillion-dollar 1MDB financial scandal. When Facebook refused, the law ministry issued a rare criticism of the social media giant – which has its Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore.

Facebook has declined to take down a post that is clearly false, defamatory and attacks Singapore, using falsehoods,” it said. “This shows why we need legislation to protect us from deliberate online falsehoods.”

In a Facebook post before the government’s order to the social media company, Tan thanked the city state’s authorities for “bringing more traffic to States Times Review”.

“More Singaporeans now have access to independent Singapore news content, that are free from government censorship, as opposed to the 154th ranking state media,” Tan wrote, referring to the local media’s position in annual press freedom rankings.
The name States Times Review is a play on Singapore’s Straits Times newspaper. The website is blocked in Singapore.

Facebook has been approached for a comment. The United States-based company can choose to file an appeal to Shanmugam – the minister who issued the order to it – and subsequently to Singapore’s High Court. Law professor Ong said Facebook “would generally still have to comply” with the order if an appeal is filed and is pending before the court.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×