PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia: Singapore’s leader insisted Tuesday his government’s proposed fake news laws were a “step forward” in fighting online falsehoods after they sparked criticism from press freedom groups and tech giants.
But his Malaysian counterpart Mahathir Mohamad, who has long had a prickly relationship with the neighboring city-state, told a joint press conference he was worried that governments could abuse such laws.
Singapore — widely criticized for restricting free speech and clamping down on political rights — last week unveiled tough measures to fight fake news.
These included powers for ministers to order sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter to put warnings next to posts authorities deem false, and in extreme cases get them removed, as well as fines and jail terms in serious cases.
Speaking during a visit to Malaysia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that fake news was a “serious problem” and other countries including France, Germany and Australia were legislating to combat it.
Singapore’s proposed laws “will be a significant step forward,” he added. “We’ve deliberated on this now for almost two years ... What we have done has worked for Singapore, it is our objective to continue to do things which will work for Singapore.”
Rights groups warn Singapore’s proposed fake news laws could be used to stifle online discussion, are too vague and may be used to target government critics, while Facebook and other tech giants have expressed concerns.
But Mahathir, speaking alongside Lee at a press conference, noted that his government planned to repeal a widely criticized Malaysian law aimed at combating fake news.
“When we have a law that prevents people from airing their views, then we are afraid that the government itself may abuse the law,” he told reporters in the administrative capital Putrajaya.
Mahathir’s administration is pushing to repeal the legislation, which was pushed through parliament by the previous, corruption-plagued regime, but efforts have stalled after the opposition-controlled upper house refused to back its abolition.
Singapore PM defends ‘fake news’ law after storm of criticism
Singapore PM defends ‘fake news’ law after storm of criticism
- Singapore last week unveiled tough measures to fight fake news
- Rights groups warn Singapore’s proposed fake news laws could be used to stifle online discussion
Disinformation the new enemy in disaster zones, says Red Cross
- “Harmful information and dehumanizing narratives” undermines humanitarian aid and putting lives of aid workers at risk
- Between 2020 and 2024, disasters affected nearly 700 million people, displaced over 105 million, and killed more than 270,000 — doubling the number in need of humanitarian aid
GENEVA: The rise of disinformation is undermining humanitarian aid and putting lives at risk, while disasters are affecting ever more people, the Red Cross warned Thursday.
“Between 2020 and 2024, disasters affected nearly 700 million people, caused more than 105 million displacements, and claimed over 270,000 lives,” the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.
The number of people needing humanitarian assistance more than doubled in the same timeframe, the IFRC said in its World Disasters Report 2026.
But the world’s largest humanitarian network said that “harmful information and dehumanizing narratives” were increasingly undermining trust, putting the lives of aid workers at risk.
“In polarized and politically-charged contexts, humanitarian principles such as neutrality and impartiality are increasingly misunderstood, misrepresented or deliberately attacked online,” it said.
The IFRC has more than 17 million volunteers across more than 191 countries.
“In every crisis I have witnessed, information is as essential as food, water and shelter,” said the Geneva-based federation’s secretary general Jagan Chapagain.
“But when information is false, misleading or deliberately manipulated, it can deepen fear, obstruct humanitarian access and cost lives.”
He said harmful information was not a new phenomenon, but it was now moving “with unprecedented speed and reach.”
Chapagain said digital platforms were proving “fertile ground for lies.”
The IFRC report said the challenge nowadays was no longer about the availability of information but its reliability, noting that the production and spread of disinformation was easily amplified by artificial intelligence.
- ‘Life and death’ -
The report cited numerous recent examples of harmful information hampering crisis response.
During the 2024 floods in Valencia, false narratives online accused the Spanish Red Cross of diverting aid to migrants, which in turn fueled “xenophobic attacks on volunteers,” the IFRC said.
In South Sudan, rumors that humanitarian agencies were distributing poisoned food “caused people to avoid life-saving aid” and led to threats against Red Cross staff.
In Lebanon, false claims that volunteers were spreading Covid-19, favoring certain groups with aid and providing unsafe cholera vaccines eroded trust and endangered vulnerable communities, the IFRC said.
And in Bangladesh, during political unrest, volunteers faced “widespread accusations of inaction and political alignment,” leading to harassment and reputational damage, it added.
Similar events were registered by the IFRC in Sudan, Myanmar, Peru, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, Kenya and Bulgaria.
The report underlined that around 94 percent of disasters were handled by national authorities and local communities, without international interventions.
“However, while volunteers, local leaders and community media are often the most trusted messengers, they operate in increasingly hostile and polarized information environments,” the IFRC said.
The federation called on governments, tech firms, humanitarian agencies and local actors to recognize that reliable information “is a matter of life and death.”
“Without trust, people are less likely to prepare, seek help or follow life-saving guidance; with it, communities act together, absorb shocks and recover more effectively,” said Chapagain.
The organization urged technology platforms to prioritize authoritative information from trusted sources in crisis contexts, and transparently moderate harmful content.
And it said humanitarian agencies needed to make preparing to deal with disinformation “a core function” of their operations, with trained teams and analytics.
