SINGAPORE - Singapore is monitoring developments arising from Meta’s move to stop using third-party fact-checkers on Facebook, Threads and Instagram and instead rely on users to add notes to posts, even though the move appear to be limited to the United States in near term.

“Meta has been assessed to be a social media platform with significant reach in Singapore, the government is naturally concerned about the impact of its policies and practices on Singapore,” said Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Rahayu Mahzam in Parliament on Feb 5.

Singapore is assessing the impact locally, especially if such changes are also implemented in the Republic, she added.

Ms Rahayu was responding to a parliamentary question by MP Alex Yam (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC) about the implications for Singapore’s digital ecosystem, the safety of online discourse and the spread of misinformation and harmful content on Meta’s platforms.

Meta’s move, announced in January, mirrors what X has been doing. This shift has come as content moderation efforts by social media companies have been criticised as censorship and as tech firms throw their weight behind unfettered speech online to cozy up to President Donald Trump.

Ms Rahayu pointed out that a reliable fact-checking and content moderation system on social media platforms serves as a crucial first line of defence against misinformation and harmful online content. This allows platforms to act early to detect, correct, or filter out such material.

Singapore will continue its existing approach to addressing misinformation, said Ms Rahayu, pointing to the various regulations that Singapore has.

For example, the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act or Pofma enables the Government to issue corrections against online falsehoods that are against the public interest.

The codes of practice under Pofma also require social media platforms like Meta, X, and Google to put in place safeguards to promote credible online sources of information, enhance transparency in political advertising, and prevent and counter the abuse of online accounts.

Mr Yam also pressed the Government on whether it will be prepared for the “great scope of damage” if various social media companies shift their content moderation policies to those like X and Meta, or if such policies become broad-based and company-wide across various jurisdictions.

Several risk areas apply to Singapore, like social cohesion and the upcoming e...