Facebook Complies With Order Under Singapore Fake-News Law
30 Novembre 2019 - 01:45PM
Dow Jones News
By Niharika Mandhana and Phred Dvorak
SINGAPORE-- Facebook Inc. added a "correction notice" to a post
that Singapore authorities alleged contains false information,
becoming the first technology company to comply with a new law the
government says is meant to curb fake news.
Appearing near the bottom of a post from earlier this month, the
notice--which Facebook called a label--reads, "Facebook is legally
required to tell you that the Singapore government says this post
has false information."
The government had ordered the notice Friday on the post, which
alleges authorities had made a wrongful arrest. The government said
no such arrest had been made.
With governments world-wide seeking to tackle social media's
darker consequences--concerns range from privacy violations and
election interference to killings provoked by misinformation and
hate speech--Singapore is testing new terrain in online
regulation.
The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act,
which took effect in October, allows government ministers who deem
information false to order correction notices or removal of the
material, if they believe that is in the public interest.
Officials have said the law applies to statements of fact rather
than opinions or criticism, but critics say it could be used to
suppress political rivals and chill free speech. They note that it
is the government that will decide whether something is true or
not, as well as what is in the public interest.
The law defines public interest broadly--from maintaining
security to maintaining confidence in government.
Facebook said Saturday it hopes the government's assurances will
lead to "measured and transparent" implementation of the law. A
government spokeswoman said officials were in touch with Facebook
on how to make the process smoother in future cases.
News Corp, owner of The Wall Street Journal, has a commercial
agreement to supply news through Facebook.
The law was first invoked earlier in the week against an
opposition politician, who was required to add a notice above a
post about investments by government-linked firms. It reads: "This
post contains false statements of fact," and urges readers to click
on an attached link "for the correct facts."
Facebook's note on the post alleging wrongful arrest is less
definitive and appears near the bottom. A "Learn More" link leads
to a new page briefly explaining the law and adding that as a
"neutral platform," Facebook doesn't endorse the truthfulness of
either the posts on its site or government corrections.
The post was written by Alex Tan, who was a political activist
in Singapore and now lives in Australia, operating a website that
frequently criticizes the government and the long-dominant ruling
party. The government ordered him to attach a correction notice,
but Mr. Tan refused: As he is based in Australia, he said, he isn't
obliged to comply. So the government ordered Facebook to do it.
Facebook has long resisted taking down posts for allegedly being
false. It does remove fake accounts as well as posts that violate
its own standards--such as those containing hate speech or nudity.
Last year, following massive outcry over massacres of the Rohingya
minority in Myanmar that were partly provoked by misinformation
spread on Facebook, it started removing posts containing false
information that could lead to violence.
Facebook doesn't verify material itself, instead hiring
independent fact-checkers, often news organizations. One of
Facebook's concerns with the Singapore law, according to a person
familiar with the matter, is that the government rather than fact
checkers will determine accuracy.
For most posts containing information its fact-checkers
determine is false, Facebook's response is just to reduce the
post's visibility, which the company says cuts distribution by 80%.
Facebook is also rolling out a system that requires users, before
they can read a post deemed to contain misinformation, to click
through a screen that says fact checkers dispute it.
Facebook's position on false information has irked the Singapore
government in the past, including last year when it refused to take
down a post authorities said falsely linked Singapore to a
multibillion-dollar financial fraud in neighboring Malaysia.
Facebook "cannot be relied upon to filter falsehoods or protect
Singapore from a false information campaign," the government said
at the time, adding that this showed why the legislation was
needed.
Write to Niharika Mandhana at niharika.mandhana@wsj.com and
Phred Dvorak at phred.dvorak@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
November 30, 2019 07:30 ET (12:30 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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