Pofma Office issues warning to woman, 47, over false claims on vaccines’ efficacy in curbing Covid-19 spread

SINGAPORE — A 12-month conditional warning has been issued to a 47-year-old woman by the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) Office for publishing false claims online misleading people into thinking that Covid-19 vaccines are not effective in reducing Covid-19 transmission rates.

The Pofma Office said in a statement on Wednesday (Aug 31) that during the investigations the woman had admitted that while she had checked the credentials of original authors of the articles, she “cannot be certain whether the information published was true”.

The woman is an administrator of the Truth Warriors website which published the false claims about the vaccines, said the office, which did not name her.

The website was issued a Pofma direction on Oct 24 last year to carry correction notices on its website to inform Singaporeans of the falsehoods it had published on the vaccines and the use of ivermectin to treat Covid-19.

“Online falsehoods that sow public confusion affect lives and harm society. The Government takes a serious view of the deliberate communication of these false statements,” the Pofma Office said.

It added that if the woman reoffends during these 12 months, she can be prosecuted for the original crime, which could result in a fine of up to S$50,000 or a jail term of up to five years, or both.

According to data published on the Pofma Office’s website, there have been 38 Pofma cases as of June 30 this year, with more than half — 21 out of 38 or 55 per cent — of the cases being Covid-19 related.