Singapore to lead Asean fight vs fake news — minister
SINGAPORE – Singapore will push for the creation of the Code of Values on Digital Media Literacy to stop the proliferation of false information in Southeast Asia when it hosts the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit next year.
Desmond Lee, Singapore’s minister for social and family development, said his country wants to bring to a higher level the discussions on addressing the proliferation of false information in many levels of societies and governments.
He noted that social media is being used to manipulate people’s consciousness that will soon affect society. And if the proliferation of false information is not adressed, it can also lead to a disconnect between the people and the government.
“All our governments, all the responsible media in our countries, all at the forefront of media literacy in our countries recognize, the false information presents one of the greatest threats to social cohesion and progress in all the digital age in our countries because we are increasingly connected,” Lee told The STAR.
“You see, in more recent times, the nature of social media is to allow ghettos of consciousness, allow echo chambers to form…because social media tries several algorithms.”
“There is a danger that our communities begin to fragment into echo chambers that only care about specific issues and perspective and do not see the wider perspective of a true world. This can have serious consequences on multiculturalism or intra-ethnic multi-religious issues,” he added.
While Singapore pushes to tap the full use of the digital information age, Lee said there is a need to educate the public so each individual can look into the “tremendous risks” that comes with it.
“We want to look at how we can consume our news, how we share information. If we want our young people, to flourish, to be thoughtful, to be able to process information, then we need to navigate current tension between what is real news and fake news,” Lee said.
Singapore is also looking at possible legislation to deal with fake news and misinformation.
Lee, a member of parliament for Jurong GRC, said Singapore plans to bring into the table the need to empower ASEAN youth, promote smart cities, address climate change, and the need to further strengthen the support for trans-boundary commitments by all members of the ASEAN.