MDDI Directs IMDA to Block Access to East Asia Forum for noncompliance with CD under POFMA

24 JAN 2025

MDDI DIRECTS IMDA TO BLOCK ACCESS TO EAST ASIA FORUM FOR NON-COMPLIANCE WITH CORRECTION DIRECTION UNDER THE PROTECTION FROM ONLINE FALSEHOODS AND MANIPULATION ACT (POFMA)

  1. The East Asia Forum has failed to comply with the Correction Direction issued on 22 January 2025 to point out falsehoods in its article “Singapore’s new prime minister entangled in old politics” (“the article”). Consequently, the Minister for Digital Development and Information has directed the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to issue Access Blocking Orders to require internet access service providers to disable access for end-users in Singapore to East Asia Forum’s website, where the falsehoods are communicated.

  2. The Correction Direction issued to East Asia Forum on 22 January 2025 had required the facts to be displayed along with the falsehoods, enabling end-users in Singapore to read both versions and make their own judgements. Despite three reminders sent to East Asia Forum to comply with the Correction Direction, East Asia Forum has not complied (See Annex for details). Should East Asia Forum subsequently comply with the full requirements of the Correction Direction, the Minister will cancel the Access Blocking Orders.

  3. The Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Ms Indranee Rajah has also separately instructed POFMA Office to issue today, Targeted Correction Directions1 to Meta Platforms, Inc., LinkedIn Corporation, and X Corp. This follows East Asia Forum’s failure to carry the Correction Notice in its Facebook, LinkedIn, and X posts linking to the same article. Meta Platforms, Inc., LinkedIn Corporation, and X Corp will be required to communicate a correction notice to all end-users in Singapore who had accessed, or will access, the posts.

  4. For the full facts of the case, please refer to the Factually article “Corrections Regarding False Statements on the Misuse of Government Resources, Conduct of the Prosecution, and Rules of Obligations for Ministers”.

Jointly issued by:
Ministry of Digital Development and Information
Prime Minister’s Office

1 A Targeted Correction Direction is a direction issued to an Internet Intermediary (“II”) whose service was used to communicate a falsehood. The direction requires the II to communicate a correction notice by means of its service to all users in Singapore who access the falsehood through its service. This is so that users who see the falsehood on a platform also see the correction notice on that platform.