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Arthur T Knackerbracket [soylentnews.org] writes:

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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story [aljazeera.com]:

Rights groups, tech companies, academics and journalists opposed the law, which they say threatens free speech.

A "fake news" law, decried by academics, activists and tech giants, has gone into effect in Singapore [aljazeera.com], despite warnings that the measures could be used to stifle dissent and free speech in the South East Asian island country.

The law, which was passed [aljazeera.com] by Singapore's parliament in May but took effect on Wednesday, gives government ministers powers to order social media companies to put warnings next to posts authorities deem to be false, order some content to be removed and in some cases block websites deemed to be propagating false information contrary to "public interest".

In April, shortly before the bill passed, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said [pmo.gov.sg] the legislation was an "essential part" of fighting fake news and hate speech. 

Singapore's government, which has been accused [aljazeera.com] of stifling dissent in the past, has said the country is particularly vulnerable to fake news because of its position as a global financial hub, its mixed ethnic and religious population and widespread internet access.

Opponents worry the new measures could easily be politicised, with all nine members of the opposition Workers' Party voting against the bill.

The law was also opposed by the Asia Internet Coalition, an industry association that includes Facebook, Google and Twitter, which said [aicasia.org] the "bill will impact freedom of expression and curtail the rights of individuals."

Over 170 academics signed [thenewslens.com] a letter saying the legislation had been fast-tracked without proper input from "key civil society actors."

The law is "likely to have a chilling effect on freedom of expression and academic freedom in Singapore", they said.

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