Facebook is obliged to mark Singaporean news medium’s post as ‘incorrect’

Facebook has supplemented a post in Singapore with the text “Facebook is required by law to report that the Singapore government states that this post contains incorrect information”. Facebook thus complies with the new Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation law.

The law has been in effect in the city-state since October this year. The post was made on the State Times Review page. The addition to the post cannot simply be seen from Europe, for example, users must first connect to a VPN in Singapore. The author himself, according to Reuters, refuses to make an adjustment and says that he cannot be forced to do so because he has an Australian passport and also lives there.

In addition to the text, Facebook has also placed links to a help page that explains in more detail why the post is supplemented with the stamp and that Facebook does not support the poster or the government. There is also a link to the fact-checkers page of the Singapore government.

In a response to Reuters, Facebook said it “hopes that the Singapore government’s promise that the new law will not compromise freedom of expression will lead to a proportionate and transparent implementation.” According to Reuters, the law is the first to require Facebook to publish a correction. Penalties for violations can be up to ten years in prison or a $1 million fine.

It seems that Facebook is giving in to the Singapore government for the first time here. For example, previous posts that are allegedly infringing have been edited by the poster or the post has been removed by the original author, such as a post from The Online Citizen that is no longer available, but the government does mention the fact checking page. The Online Citizen has removed the post, but is still discussing the matter in another post.