Written by Terence Sim & Jerome
POFMA. It is most definitely a term that you have heard before. But what is it and what does it mean? And more importantly, what impact does it have on you?
POFMA, or the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Acts, was passed in parliament – after a lengthy debate – on May 8, 2019. It came into effect in October that year.
At the time of discussion, POFMA was a hugely debated topic as it gave authority to any minister to discern fake news online. More specifically, the bill was published to prevent disinformation online that could harm the general public’s well-being.
(PHOTO: Soufi Adelia)
POFMA does this through legal directions issued to parties that have posted misinformation online. Not complying with the given directions can result in a fine of up to S$50,000. It may even lead to a prison sentence of up to five years for individuals and penalties for companies of up to S$1,000,000.
Since its inception three years ago, there have been a total of 36 POFMA cases, with 21 of them related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
(PHOTO: Soufi Adelia)
One of the 36 cases involved Mr Goh Meng Seng, the leader of an opposition party, The People’s Power Party. On April 15, 2021, Mr Goh posted on his Facebook page that a doctor had suffered from a stroke due to the side effects of taking the Covid-19 vaccination. A few days later, he followed up with a second post claiming that an 81-year-old man had died due to complications from the vaccines.
An alternative news outlet, Singapore Uncensored, also allegedly claimed that the death of the 81-year-old man was due to an allergic reaction caused by the vaccines.
Following an investigation, the Health Science Association’s Forensic Medicine Division has found no evidence suggesting that the Covid-19 vaccine led to the man’s death. These false statements resulted in POFMA issuing a correction direction to both Mr Goh and Uncensored Singapore. The correction directions required them to put up correction notices about their posts containing misinformation. Furthermore, it contains a link with the correct information provided by the government.
In March this year, popular local alternative news outlet, Wake Up Singapore (WUSG) published an Instagram post, alleging that an expectant mother had suffered a miscarriage after waiting for four hours at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH). They stated that this happened due to the negligence of staff and management in the hospital. The post by WUSG led the hospital to launch an internal investigation, which subsequently proved the allegations to be false.
This resulted in a POFMA issuing a correction direction to WUSG. WUSG then published a post stating they were “fed lies to at every turn”, apologising for the situation.
POFMA and the debate on power imbalance
POFMA has clearly brought about many positives in preventing the quick spread and damage that fake news can cause. However, there are still many concerns regarding POFMA, especially when it was first brought up. The Workers’ Party (WP) had declared that they were opposed to the bill, believing that ministers should not be given the power to decide what is false.
During the parliamentary debate, WP chief Mr Pritam Singh said the party had an issue with the bill’s definition of ‘falsehood’, stating that it was too ambitious and unclear. They feared that the bill would give the government too much power and control allowing them to be both ‘the player and the referee’. They held the sentiment that the passing of the bill would result in people practising ‘self-censorship’ to protect themselves and claimed that these are the actions of a dictatorial government that desires absolute power.
The responsibility of media literacy
POFMA in itself cannot be the only barrier to the spread of fake news. Digital literacy skills is an important asset for every netizen, who should be able to identify any suspicious information even before they are corrected by POFMA.
Here are some steps that you can take to protect yourself while surfing the internet daily.
For starters, checking the sources can help you differentiate between what’s factual and what’s not. The source used by the article could be from a satire site where information is fabricated intentionally as a joke.
One step further would be to find out more about the article’s author. Reading up on the author allows information on his credibility as a writer. It is also important to examine the website. Checking the site to see if it is a well known and reputable source is also a good indicator of whether the source is trustable.
Secondly, we have to look at the date when the information was published. Articles reposted and shared by friends and family may be outdated. A story from the distant past should not be of influence as the information is no longer relevant.
Thirdly, look past the headlines. Headlines are attention-grabbers, made to pique your interest and garner more clicks on their website. To find accurate information, make sure to read through the entire article carefully and fact check its sources.
Fourthly, if unsure, cross-refer the information. Two sources stating the same information is more credible than just one single source. Especially when it is breaking news, many news outlets will release similar articles reporting on the same situation. If you ever stumble across major news but there is no coverage from other sources, more likely than not, you should steer away.
Lastly, always be critical. Look at the article with an objective mindset. Ask yourself questions such as: Why was this posted? Does it show bias? What is the objective of this article? What response is it trying to evoke? Questions like these allow you to take a step back and see the broader view without being caught up with emotion.
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