Aiya. I know. POFMA right?
Actually no. This is potentially worse than POFMA.
During a conference media briefing on Zoom, our Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said, “We will go on the basis of the Attorney-General’s Chambers’ advice, and when it’s a criminal offence, we will take action along those lines. If it doesn’t cross that threshold but if it crosses a threshold for the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma), we’ll use POFMA.”
On 27 April 2020, a 40-year-old man was charged for spreading a false message, claiming that “food courts, coffee shop all to close. Supermarkets will only open two days a week.” He could be jailed up to three years or fined up to $10,000.
Which means that depending on what kind of fake news you’re spreading, you’re not just looking to lim kopi with POFMA, but might receive free accommodation and food if you know what I mean.
Some Fake Videos Went Around On Social Media
So you might be wondering which of the videos you’re watching are actually fake.
It might be quite a hefty amount of them, judging from the pages of fact-checking related to COVID-19 that BlackDotResearch, a market and social research agency with a fact-checking department, has on their website.
Some of the fake videos cited by Minister Shanmugan included one showing a “foreign worker” hanging himself, a fight in a dormitory and a video about two men escaping a dorm.
Two of those videos were already debunked by BlackDotResearch.
It is unproven where the dormitory fight is actually from, but one source on Facebook seems to suggest this is in Dubai.
As for the suicide video, it is also unproven, but the SPF had specifically stated that the incident didn’t happen in Singapore.
In fact, some comments on the video itself also debunk the claim that the suicide happened in Singapore. Where the video actually happened, however, appears to be disputed.
The above are considered heavier topics, but it doesn’t mean you should joke around even when it comes to seemingly innocent topics.
Even Fake News Of Bad Food Is Equally Serious
“Another example, no less serious in my view, is people taking photographs, old photographs of food being served to the foreign workers and recirculating them now to suggest that food is bad,” Mr Shanmugam said.
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“This is pretty serious because there is a mood of despondency and despair circulating amongst the foreign workers, when actually their salaries are taken care of, their food is being taken care of and their medical (needs) are being taken care of. You have people actively trying to instigate (them). And we are watching this very closely.”
Lest you didn’t know, there are many different dormitories managed by different companies.
Not all of them are terrible, and there are certainly many improvements being pushed out.
Could Lead To Riot
Minister Shanmugam also said, “Some people are deliberately doing this to foment trouble in the foreign worker (dormitories) and they don’t realise this is like playing with fire because you have several hundred thousand of them in public-built dorms.”
“You use falsehoods to ferment trouble and make them angry and you don’t know what might happen. It could be a serious law and order situation.”
In short, all these anyhow fake news can lead to riots.
He added that the Government has stepped up measures to help foreign workers during this time, and it is unfair for people to encourage migrant workers to be “angry and bitter” and to “mislead” Singaporeans and the foreign workers into thinking that things are bad.
Basically, don’t play play lah.