Singapore tells Facebook to correct user’s post in test of ‘fake news’ laws

SINGAPORE (Reuters) — Singapore instructed Facebook on Friday to publish a correction on a user’s social media post under a new “fake news” law, raising fresh questions about how the company will adhere to government requests to regulate content.

The government said in a statement that it had issued an order requiring Facebook “to publish a correction notice” on a Nov. 23 post which contained accusations about the arrest of a supposed whistleblower and election rigging.

Singapore said the allegations were “false” and “scurrilous” and initially ordered user Alex Tan, who runs the States Times Review blog, to issue the correction notice on the post. Tan, who does not live in Singapore and says he is an Australian citizen, refused and authorities said he is now under investigation.

Facebook said in a statement that it was reviewing a request from the Singapore government, but declined to comment further.

Tan’s post remained up as of mid-afternoon on Friday, with a Nov. 28 update noting that the government denied the arrest. Tan also posted the article on Twitter, LinkedIn and Google Docs and challenged the government to order corrections there as well.

Facebook has been under fire in recent years for its lax approach to fake news reports, state-backed disinformation campaigns and violent content spread on its services, prompting calls for new regulations around the world.

It is also frequently criticized for being too willing to do the bidding of governments in stamping out political dissent.

Facebook often blocks content that governments allege violate local laws, with nearly 18,000 cases globally in the year to June, according to the company’s “transparency report.”