Police & MCI Issue Warning About Online Conduct During Presidential Election 2023

With the Nomination Day and Polling Day for this year’s Presidential Elections announced, locals can soon expect the successful shortlisted candidates to start their campaigning.

And as with everything in Singapore, there are rules to follow.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) have published an advisory on online conduct during the upcoming Presidential Elections.

Here are the key points you may want to note if you intend to participate in any online discourse.

Avoid Spreading Misinformation and Disinformation

Given the widespread nature of fake news online, it is no wonder that the SPF and MCI want to caution people against fake news regarding the Presidential Elections.

In particular, the two institutions say that members of the public should be “cautious about the information and materials they receive during this period and be alert to misinformation”.

Do not let people with “ill intent” have the opportunity to poison your mind (and affect your vote) if they release “falsehoods or manipulated content”.

It is not difficult to create fake news or manipulate content, given the variety of manipulation tools readily available on the internet nowadays.

You may want to watch out for deepfakes, which are “manipulation of facial appearance through deep generative methods”. People may appear to say something when it is not the actual person who said it.

That’s enough about falling prey to fake news.

You should also be careful not to be the one spreading fake news when you participate on social media or private messaging services during this Presidential Election.

The SPF and MCI advise you to “not forward or repost” content you are unsure about. Do take steps to verify the information against official sources so that you do not participate in spreading fake or deceptive content.

Do Not Harass Anyone Online

Of course, you should not harass people online by commenting, doxxing or publishing their personal information online.

That means no cyberbullying.

Any online discussions should be done civilly so that does not cause harassment, alarm or distress to another person.

Do Not Stir Up Negative Racial or Religious Emotions

Given that Singapore is multi-racial and multi-religious, it is good to avoid making “online posts with deliberate intent to wound the racial feelings of any person, or seek to promote enmity between different groups on grounds of race, nor to do acts prejudicial to maintenance of racial harmony”.

Engaging in conduct that “urges violence or incites hatred or ill-will” on religious or racial grounds could also land you in hot water.