Facebook Now Altering Users' Posts To Add Singapore Government's 'Fake News' Warnings
from the legislate-locally,-force-action-globally dept
Singapore's "fake news" law continues to pay off for the Singaporean government. It's already been used to target allegations made by political opposition leaders and now it's converted Facebook to an extension of the ruling government.
Alex Tan, the founder of "anti-establishment" news site State Times Review has been irritating the Singapore government for a few years now. Late last year, his site published an article claiming Singapore's prime minister was complicit in laundering Malaysian government funds through Singapore's banks.
This resulted in the Monetary Authority of Singapore filing a criminal complaint against Tan for "impugning its integrity." The Ministry of Law then demanded Facebook remove Tan's posts from its site. None of this worked. Tan, now a resident of Australia, was beyond the reach of the Singaporean government. Facebook refused to comply with the government's request because that was all it was: a request.
Tan's posts and Facebook's refusal to remove them were cited by the government as evidence a "fake news" law was needed.
The Ministry of Law said in a press statement: “Facebook has declined to take down a post that is clearly false, defamatory and attacks Singapore, using falsehoods.”
“This shows why we need legislation to protect us from deliberate online falsehoods.”
It's not often a government is so transparent about its self-interest. The Ministry of Law didn't seem to be suggesting the people needed to be protected from "online falsehoods." It's the government that needs to be "protected" from its mostly-powerless citizens -- or, in this case, a rabble rouser operating outside of its jurisdiction.
The new law gives the Singapore government what it wanted: protection. And Facebook's compliance. Roughly a year after the subject was first broached, Facebook is helping Singapore's government mute the effectiveness of its critics, including Alex Tan.
Facebook said on Saturday it had issued a correction notice on a user’s post at the request of the Singapore government, but called for a measured approach to the implementation of a new “fake news” law in the city-state.
“Facebook is legally required to tell you that the Singapore government says this post has false information,” said the notice, which is visible only to Singapore users.
The good news is the post stays live. The bad news is the government can force Facebook to alter users' posts by unilaterally declaring news it doesn't like "false." And if this doesn't seem to be working well enough, the government still has the option to jail people or hit them with fines of up to $1 million.
The thing is the government doesn't have to do this. Obviously, the legislation is bad and will result in censorship. But the government runs its own site for corrections, which should be all it needs to do when faced with reports and criticism it considers to be false. Instead of limiting itself to combating speech it doesn't like with its own speech, it's forcing American companies to act on its behalf and dangling the threat of prison time and fines over the heads of anyone whose criticism it feels is invalid.
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Filed Under: alex tan, compelled speech, fake news, free speech, politics, singapore
Companies: facebook
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globalism
And this is a perfect example of the dangers of operating a global business. You either comply with whatever ridiculous law a foreign country has or you risk being locked out of business there.
I just wish the global companies would refuse to bend to moronic laws instead of kowtowing to thin skinned governments. But when a company's goal is purely financial wealth we can always assume they will do whatever gives them a short term gain instead of a better long term gain for humanity.
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Re: globalism
Which then also brings up another issue of why members of one country want a global business or a foreign country to comply with American values (at least those in the constitution) instead of just operating to gain a buck or impose their will?
I mean I don't own Facebook, I don't use it, work in it, or have stock in it. Yet when I see news like this I feel like Facebook shouldn't have caved and that the Singapore Gov should backdown from bad laws and adopt more of America's bill of rights based ideals.
Is it because of looking at a bigger picture scenario or long term global benefit?
Sorry, probably just rambling here.
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Maybe it should, but the United States can’t (and shouldn’t try to) make it do that. Neither should U.S. corporations.
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Nobody show this article to Devin Nunes. He might get ideas.
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Re:
Like moving his family farm to Singapore?
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Re: Re:
At least the cows...
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Until next week when the Singapore government figures out that their residents can view "fake news" by VPN or leaving the country. Then they will demand that the notice be applied globally.
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Re:
Wait till they roll out the pictorial signs explaining the law and that you will be hit with a cane for violating the new law.
I wonder what that picture would look like?
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“Facebook is legally required to tell you that the Singapore government says this post has false information”
Attached to a post critical of the Singapore government, this would only make me believe it more.
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Re:
I personally wonder if the law is written neutrally, or if only the Singapore government can declare a post 'fake'? If any 'fake' can be labeled as such in Singapore, it would be hilarious if the government's posts got labeled that way when shared...
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They are so dumb
Why make laws when google and twitter will do it for you and call it content moderation?
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Re: you are so dumb
Why you still here bro?
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Re: They are so dumb
Pot, meet Kettle. Kettle, this is Pot.
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Re: They are so dumb
Exactly right, fb is more than willing every time to roll over or bend over to whatever wind is blowing hard.
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“Facebook is legally required to tell you that the Singapore government says this post has false information,” said the notice, which is visible only to Singapore users."
Wow - so detailed is their explanation of what/where/why/how.
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Re:
A form of malicious compliance?
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Re: Re:
I think malicious compliance would entail multiple chapters of many pages detailing the reasons for and evidence in support of the action rather than their simplistic statement "Facebook is legally required to tell you that the Singapore government says this post has false information".
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I call Singapore fake.
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