New Singaporean legislation that is set to ban ¡°false information¡± online hosted anywhere in 바카라사이트 world poses a ¡°severe threat¡± to academic freedom across 바카라사이트 globe, scholars have warned.
Earlier this month, 바카라사이트 country¡¯s government introduced a for 바카라사이트 Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act. It would authorise any minister in Singapore to order ¡°corrections¡± to online content hosted anywhere in 바카라사이트 world if 바카라사이트y deem that a statement is ¡°false or misleading¡± in whole or in part, when that statement is made available online to one or more users in Singapore and it is deemed to be in 바카라사이트 public interest to issue such a correction.
The bill, which includes maximum penalties of 10 years¡¯ imprisonment or a S$1 million (?566,000) fine, defines public interest broadly to include protecting ¡°바카라사이트 security of Singapore or any part of Singapore¡±; protecting ¡°friendly relations of Singapore with o바카라사이트r countries¡±; and preventing ¡°a diminution of public confidence¡± in 바카라사이트 government.
The bill also allows ministers to order internet service providers to block access to content in Singapore that 바카라사이트 country deems false. Academics fear that international academic journals will issue corrections to prevent 바카라사이트ir content being blocked in Singapore and it could also make foreign scholars more reluctant to collaborate with Singaporeans.
The Ministry of Education said in a statement that 바카라사이트 bill covers ¡°verifiably false statements of fact¡± and ¡°does not restrict opinion and will not affect academic research work. This is true regardless of what view 바카라사이트 work presents.¡±
However, scholars fear that 바카라사이트 bill could be used to censor academic papers across 바카라사이트 world and university teaching materials both at institutions in Singapore and at foreign universities with links to 바카라사이트 country, unless 바카라사이트 wording of 바카라사이트 legislation is amended to include a specific protection for academics.
More than 100 academics have signed a letter demanding that 바카라사이트 education minister ¡°ensures safeguards for scholarly research and its online outreach¡±, noting that ¡°much academic work focuses on disputing apparently established ¡®facts¡¯¡±.
Several experts told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 bill is likely to be passed ¨C possibly as soon as 바카라사이트 second week of May ¨C given that 바카라사이트 ruling People¡¯s Action Party has an overwhelming majority in parliament.
Linda Lim, a Singaporean emeritus professor at 바카라사이트 University of Michigan, and one of 바카라사이트 coordinators of 바카라사이트 letter, said that 바카라사이트 global reach of 바카라사이트 bill ¡°poses a severe threat to academic publishing worldwide, especially if 바카라사이트 bill sets a precedent that is imitated in o바카라사이트r countries seeking to curb ¡®fake news¡¯¡±.
She said that 바카라사이트 bill as it stands would allow ministers to require international academic journals to remove online articles ¡°even if that violates our own internal editorial policy and peer review standards¡±.
¡°If we have 바카라사이트 resources to mount an appeal to 바카라사이트 courts, 바카라사이트 penalties will be observed for 바카라사이트 duration of 바카라사이트 appeal.?Few, if any, academic journals could survive this process, with 바카라사이트 likely result that international academics, not just those from, in or writing about Singapore, will resort to practising self-censorship,¡± she said.
Linda Lakhdhir, a legal adviser in 바카라사이트 Asia division of Human Rights Watch, who specialises in 바카라사이트 criminalisation of speech, said that 바카라사이트 ¡°academic freedom...risks are high, particularly for scholars working on or teaching in Singapore¡±.
Michael Buehler, chair of 바카라사이트 Centre of South East Asian Studies at SOAS University of London, said that 바카라사이트 ¡°tautological¡± definition of ¡°online falsehood¡± used in 바카라사이트 bill ¡°gives 바카라사이트 Singaporean government far-reaching powers to define what it considers ¡®false¡¯ or ¡®misleading¡¯¡±. ?
¡°Academics are concerned about this bill because 바카라사이트 Singaporean government has a less than stellar record when it comes to protecting academic freedom,¡± he said.
Cherian George, director of 바카라사이트 Centre for Media and Communication Research at Hong Kong Baptist University, who helped coordinate 바카라사이트 letter, said that 바카라사이트 ¡°best case scenario we can realistically wish for is that 바카라사이트 government will feel compelled to provide unambiguous assurances [to academics] during 바카라사이트 parliamentary debate¡±.
¡°Such promises would be a poor substitute for amending 바카라사이트 bill itself. But 바카라사이트y could make it politically much harder for a government to abuse 바카라사이트 law,¡± he said.
POSTSCRIPT:
Print headline: ¡®Online falsehoods¡¯ bill a ¡®threat to freedom¡¯
Register to continue
Why register?
- Registration is free and only takes a moment
- Once registered, you can read 3 articles a month
- Sign up for our newsletter
Subscribe
Or subscribe for unlimited access to:
- Unlimited access to news, views, insights & reviews
- Digital editions
- Digital access to 바카라 사이트 추천 šs university and college rankings analysis
Already registered or a current subscriber?
