POFMA

Question 1

Why is POFMA needed to maintain racial and religious harmony?

Answer 1

As a multicultural nation, there is a pressing need for Singapore to maintain racial and religious harmony. Falsehoods and hate speech online can disrupt the stability and peace of our society by unnecessarily causing tension between groups in our society

Question 2

What is the aim of POFMA?

Answer 2

The new law is aimed at providing the Government with powers to act against malicious actors spreading online falsehoods to protect the public interest. It does not cover opinions, criticisms, satire or parody, which the public can continue to upload and share.

Question 3

What are the positive implications of POFMA?

Answer 3

1. Protect citizens from harm brought about by falsehoods
2. Maintain state sovereignty
3. Maintain harmony between different groups of people
4. Maintain public confidence in public institutions

Question 4

What are the negative implications of POFMA?

Answer 4

1. POFMA may have enabled too much power to the ruling party to deem what is true and what is false.
2. Increases self-censorship in the nation, leading to a chilling effect that reduces the freedom of expression and creativity
3. Public confidence may be diminished if people continue to harbour resent.