Facebook Tightens Rules on Political Ads in Singapore Before Election
The regulations come as Singapore is gearing up to announce general elections, which must be held by April 2021.
(Bloomberg) -- Facebook has introduced tighter regulations for political advertisements in Singapore that require identity and location disclosures ahead of a looming election in the city-state.
The social media giant has come under fire in recent years for allowing the spread of misinformation and foreign interference in global elections. It’s decided to enhance ad transparency in Singapore after applying those rules in the U.S., the U.K. and Brazil, the company announced in a blog post Thursday.
Advertisers posting about social and political issues -- including civil rights, immigration, crime and governance -- will be required to provide a phone number, email and website if they want to publish under the names of their organizations or official Facebook pages. They will also have their ads and disclaimer information stored within Facebook Inc.’s Ad Library for seven years.
“To enable healthy discourse in Singapore, we’ve taken steps to reduce the spread of misinformation, help prevent foreign interference in elections and -- more recently -- to bring greater transparency and authenticity to advertising,” Facebook wrote in the post.
The regulations come as Singapore is gearing up to announce general elections, which must be held by April 2021 though the ruling party has called for early polls in recent cycles. On Wednesday, Singaporean Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam questioned the ability of tech companies to handle widespread misinformation on their own. “I think the clear answer is no,” he said.
Government Criticisms
His comments are the latest in a string of government criticisms leveled against social media companies. Last year, the Ministry of Law called the social media giant unreliable after it declined a request to remove a post linking Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and the city state with 1MDB allegations.
Disillusioned by the private sector’s approach to disinformation campaigns, Shanmugam said Singapore may take matters into its own hands by introducing legislation to counter foreign attempts to influence domestic politics.
In May, Singapore took a tougher stance on misinformation after lawmakers passed a bill to combat “fake news,” a move that faced heavy criticism from rights groups who say it threatens the city-state’s free press. Tan Cheng Bock, a former ruling party member turned opposition leader, has criticized the law, saying it could be used to muzzle dissent.
Further legislation, the minister said, could specifically target the flow of funds as well as restrict “foreign participation in the leadership of specific organizations,” Shanmugam told an academic conference.
To contact the reporters on this story: Philip J. Heijmans in Singapore at pheijmans1@bloomberg.net;Melissa Cheok in Singapore at mcheok2@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Edwin Chan
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