New legislation targets digitally manipulated content to protect voters during elections
Singapore has introduced a new Bill to address the growing concern of deepfakes and other digitally manipulated content used in election campaigns. The proposed law, introduced in Parliament on September 9, 2024, seeks to ban the publication of false digital depictions of election candidates, including images, videos, and audio content, from the issuance of the Writ of Election until the close of polls on Polling Day.
The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) explained that the law aims to protect voters from digitally manipulated content during elections, ensuring that the integrity of the electoral process is maintained.
In addition to the ban, the legislation includes penalties for non-compliance. Social media services could face fines of up to S$1 million, while individuals could be fined up to S$1,000 if they fail to comply with correction orders issued for misleading content.
The Elections Department will publish the names of prospective candidates before Nomination Day, and the ban will apply specifically to content that misrepresents candidates during the election period.
