Information
Satire
Massey University Vice-Chancellor, Prof Jan Thomas, has been hand-picked to oversee a newly passed law in Singapore.
The law passed in May, comes into effect this month and requires a watchdog to police it to ensure fake news does not reach the citizens of Singapore.
Because of Thomas’s long experience with the health and safety aspects of speech, she was a dead cert for the role and readily accepted the post so that she could operate in a supportive legislative framework, rather than having to be an outlier as she was in New Zealand.
The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act requires online platforms, including social media, to issue corrections or remove content that the government deems false.
Clearly Thomas’s experience here in New Zealand, with her deeming Don Brash and some feminist speakers to be peddling harmful falsehoods, was an important component of her CV when it came to selecting her for the role.
The act states that a person must not do any act in or outside Singapore in order to communicate in Singapore a statement, knowing or having reason to believe that it is false and that it is likely to be prejudicial to the security of Singapore, public health, public safety, public tranquility or public finances. It must not be prejudicial to the friendly relations of Singapore to other countries, incite feelings of hatred, influence the outcome of an election or diminish public confidence in the performance of the government.
Public Safety has always been Thomas’s main priority when it came to any item that might be controversial, so she felt completely aligned with this new law. Instead of just banning speakers she will now have the power to prosecute, and media companies that fail to comply face a fine of up to a $1 million ($724,000). Individuals, both inside and outside Singapore, face fines of up to S$60,000 ($43,000) and prison for up to 10 years.
“It is my dream role, really”, she is reported as saying.
Singapore has passed such a law – that bit is not satire.