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SINGAPORE: Legislative “levers” may be needed to enable Singapore to better respond to hostile information campaigns, as part of efforts to protect against foreign interference in the country’s politics.
These levers will allow the Government to obtain the information necessary to investigate hostile information campaigns to determine whether they are of foreign origin or artificial, said on Monday (March 1) the Second Minister of the Interior, Josephine Teo.
They would also allow the authorities to “break the virality” of such campaigns if they are found to be carried out by foreign actors to subvert Singaporean politics, as well as carry out counter messages to alert people in Singapore to these campaigns, he said.
The government is studying other countries’ approaches to such campaigns, he added.
READ: Comment: What’s next now that the government looks beyond disinformation by targeting foreign influence in Singapore?
“Singapore needs to be open to the world to earn a living. But our diversity and openness also present opportunities for foreign actors ”, said Ms Teo during the debate of the Procurement Committee of the Ministry of the Interior (MHA).
In the 1970s, Singapore was the target of two jamming operations involving newspapers The Eastern Sun and Singapore Herald, he noted. These newspapers received funding from foreign sources and, in return, published articles that “sought to undermine our nascent efforts to build a nation.”
When Singapore faced bilateral problems with “our immediate neighbor” in 2018 and 2019, there was a “curious increase” in online comments critical of Singapore, he said.
“Many of these comments come from anonymous accounts, which sought to give an artificial impression to Singaporeans that there were important and fundamental objections to Singapore’s position,” he said.
Ms Teo noted that the Australian Institute for Strategic Policy showed that, globally, cases of foreign cyber interference in elections increased from seven between 2011 and 2015 to 41 between 2016 and 2020. There have also been reports from Australia, Canada and New Zealand that showed that foreign powers and their agents had tried to influence the politics of those countries by buying up individual political parties and politicians.
“At the same time, social media platforms have not been busy and have little interest in dealing with these threats,” Ms Teo said.
“For example, political observers in the United States have attributed the assault on the United States Capitol to the fairness of social media platforms to take firm and timely action against electoral misinformation and calls for violent resistance.
READ: Shanmugam Warns of Foreign Interference in Singapore; question agenda, funding from The Online Citizen
“Fortunately for us, last year’s parliamentary elections passed peacefully. However, looking at what has been happening in other countries, there are reasons to take stronger preventive measures ”.
Many countries have taken steps to mitigate this risk, such as by introducing legislation to address the threat of foreign interference in their national politics, Ms Teo said.
“For example, Australia has made it mandatory for those conducting activities on behalf of foreign directors to make public disclosures, to deter attempts at covert influence to influence,” he added.
“To address the threat of foreign interference in our national politics, we must first develop the capacity of Singaporeans to discern legitimate and artificial speech online, and respond appropriately.
“However, as jamming operations are increasingly sophisticated and well disguised, it is not enough to have a demanding audience.”
Given the recent experience of other countries, other measures should also be considered to protect against “foreign subversion of politically significant persons and entities,” Ms Teo said.
“For example, what levels of transparency in funding, support and leadership are appropriate, for whom?” she added.
“The public has a great role in this, in shaping the proposals and giving eventual safeguards their greatest support. It is the only way we can effectively deter foreign bad actors from exploiting our vulnerabilities. “
In February 2019, Mr. Edwin Tong, who was then Minister of State for Law, said that the Government would consider updating the legal framework to respond to threats of foreign interference and information campaigns.
Mr Tong told Parliament that there were indications that Singapore had been the target of information campaigns. Testimony given during Select Committee meetings on Deliberate Online Falsehoods highlighted the use of news articles and social media to influence segments of Singapore’s population.
READ: The government will consider legislation against foreign interference: Edwin Tong
HARMFUL ONLINE CONTENT AND TERRORISM
Foreign interference was identified by Ms. Teo as one of the “key challenges and emerging threats” that MHA is paying particular attention to, and two others are terrorism and harmful content online.
“Some platforms struggle to deal with harmful content. But not all platforms prioritize the interests of society. This is to be expected: the platforms are driven by their own values and business interests, ”he said, adding that many countries have seen the need for regulation.
For example, Germany has passed legislation that requires platforms to respond to user complaints about illegal content, he said.
“Many tech companies have recognized the need for regulation, even if they disagree with governments on the ‘how to’,” Ms Teo said.
“We have been working with MCI (Ministry of Communications and Information) to study regulatory experiences and models in other countries, and we are reviewing our options. This may include new regulatory levers, allowing us to deal with serious damage online effectively. “
READ: Comment: Redpilling, rabbits and how far-right ideology spreads in online spaces
Terrorism remains “a serious threat,” the minister said, adding that terrorists “only need to pass once to do us serious harm.”
Singapore has forged strong working relationships with foreign security agencies to share intelligence and disrupt plots, while encouraging members of the public to report suspicious individuals or activities.
“The best way to neutralize their (terrorist) threat is to rehabilitate them and reintegrate them into society,” Ms Teo said.
“Over the years, we have refined our approach based on our own experiences, learning from international best practices and in response to the changing profile of detainees. We have had good results and we will continue to refine our approach to rehabilitation. “
READ: ISD Adjusts Focus To Rehabilitation As More Youth Acquire Terrorist Ideology
The Second Home Minister, Ms. Josephine Teo, speaking in Parliament on March 1, 2021.
KEEPING THE PUBLIC TRUST
Ms. Teo said that the home team will continue to maintain the “highest level of integrity and conduct” among its officials.
“When there are allegations of improper performance of duties by local team officials, we will investigate thoroughly,” he said.
“If the accusations are substantiated, firm measures are taken against the agents. Where we have made a slip as an organization, we have recognized it without reservation and we have toughened up. “
He said that some have made efforts to “delegitimize our police and other law enforcement agencies” by circulating false accusations through social media.
“These irresponsible posts on social media seek to weaken the public’s trust in the home team and weaken our ability to maintain law and order. We need the help of the public to be accountable and refrain from spreading false accusations and misinformation, ”Ms. Teo said.
Meanwhile, MHA is also improving its processes to better serve the public.
Ms Teo noted that Police Interview Video Recording (VRI), which was introduced in 2018 and was initially used only in the investigation of rape crimes, has been gradually expanded to cover crimes such as child abuse.
“VRI requires a substantial investment in technology, infrastructure and, most importantly, training. We will gradually expand the types of crimes that will be covered by VRI, ”he said, pointing to“ budget constraints ”as this area progresses.
Currently, the police contract the services of interpreters for foreign languages, including Bahasa Indonesian, Tagalog and Bengali.
Ms. Teo added that if a person requires interpretation, the police will hire an interpreter and record the statement only when the interpreter is available.
Singapore’s safety and security landscape is becoming more challenging, Ms Teo said.
“We have done quite well and will invest more resources to deal with emerging threats. We will continue to do whatever it takes to maintain the trust of Singaporeans through our capabilities, our integrity and our fairness, ”he added.
“We will need the strong support and help of our Singaporean compatriots, and we must be able to count on this.”
