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WhatsApp overtakes Facebook as top ‘fake news’ source: Reach survey

SINGAPORE — The bulk of Singaporeans who came across “fake news” stumbled upon them on messaging and social media platforms, with WhatsApp overtaking Facebook as the top source, based on latest findings from a survey conducted by government feedback unit Reach.

SINGAPORE — The bulk of Singaporeans who came across “fake news” stumbled upon them on messaging and social media platforms, with WhatsApp overtaking Facebook as the top source, based on latest findings from a survey conducted by government feedback unit Reach.

Released on Monday (March 26), the findings were from the second phase of a survey to better understand public sentiments and attitudes towards false information. It polled 887 Singapore residents aged 15 and above via phone interviews between Feb 12 and 20. The first phase was conducted between May 8 and 19 last year, and polled 1,617 Singapore residents. The findings from both phases were largely similar.

Nevertheless, the latest survey showed that WhatsApp was the most common source of false information, with half of the respondents saying they came across fake news on the messaging platform. In comparison, 46 per cent cited Facebook.

Respondents also encountered fake news on other social media platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, as well as online news aggregators such as Yahoo and Google news.

In the survey last year, 45 per cent and 49 per cent of the respondents mentioned WhatsApp and Facebook, respectively.

The most recent survey found that almost seven in 10 of the respondents accessed news and information on current events through television, newspapers and the radio. Some 32 per cent did so via social media and 26 per cent obtained such news from mainstream media online websites.

More than three quarters of the respondents said they came across news they thought were not fully accurate. Within this group, nearly four in 10 encountered false information related to Singapore in the past year.

On the use of legislation, about eight in 10 agreed with strengthening Singapore’s laws and regulations to better deal with the spread of false information.

Over 90 per cent of the respondents said there should be more effective laws to require those who publish fake news to remove or correct the inaccurate information. About the same proportion felt that those who deliberately put out fake news should be prosecuted, if their actions have serious consequences.

About half of the respondents said they were confident of their ability to recognise fake news. However, respondents were less optimistic about the ability of fellow Singaporeans to do the same: About one in three felt that most Singaporeans would be able to recognise fake news.

The survey also found that among those who came across fake news, 28 per cent of the respondents said they could tell that the news was fake at the time that they read it.

Some 64 per cent of the respondents were concerned about fake news spreading on the Internet while about 80 per cent were concerned about individuals or companies profiting from deliberately putting out fake news.

Reach chairman Sam Tan said the prevalence of fake news and the ease with which it can propagate online presents a serious challenge to society because it can strain the social fabric and have real-life consequences in some cases.

“Singaporeans are aware of the danger and understand that more needs to be done to tackle the issue, both in terms of regulation and education,” added Mr Tan, who is also the Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, manpower and foreign affairs ministries.

The survey findings came amid a series of public hearings held by a Select Committee studying the issue of deliberate online falsehoods. Chaired by Deputy Parliament Speaker Charles Chong, the 10-member committee received 162 written submissions and invited 79 individuals and organisations to give evidence at its public hearings. So far, five days of public hearings have taken place and the sessions resume on Tuesday.

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