Wuhan virus: Government will not hesitate to use Pofma on fake news regarding viral outbreak, says Iswaran

SINGAPORE — There have been several cases of falsehoods being used to create anxiety amid the Wuhan coronavirus situation, which is why the Government must take “swift action” against such mistruths, said Communications and Information Minister S Iswaran on Monday (Jan 27).

“Otherwise, there is a grave risk that they will spread and cause panic amongst our citizens. That is why we have the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma), and we will not hesitate to use the powers under the law to take action against any party that spreads such falsehood,” he said at a multi-ministry press conference addressing the Wuhan virus situation.

On Monday morning, the Ministry of Health (MOH) issued a general correction direction under the fake news law against online forum HardwareZone and its operator SPH Magazines over a user’s post that someone had died from the Wuhan coronavirus.

The order targeted a post made by user Potato_salad at around 5.50pm on Jan 26, which had quoted false unsourced information that Singapore has reported its first death -- a 66-year-old man -- due to severe pneumonia arising from the virus.

This was debunked by the authorities, the post has been removed, and SPH Magazines, which operates the HardwareZone forum, has since complied with the Pofma directive.

Mr Iswaran said even though the post has been taken down, more than 4,600 visitors had viewed it in the 2.5 hours it was up, and had also been shared with others outside of the forum.

“The Minister for Health had ascertained that there was a false statement of fact, and satisfied that it was in the public interest to issue the correction direction,” he said.

In a release circulated at the press conference, the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) gave four other examples of clarifications that the Government had to issue due to online chatter on the Wuhan coronavirus situation, though no Pofma directives had been issued against them.

These were:

• On Jan 25, a WhatsApp message claiming that someone had died from the Wuhan coronavirus was circulated, and a screenshot of it was posted on a Facebook page, claiming that “one of my friend’s uncle just died from infected that Wuhan Virus at a Shopping Mall (sic)”. In response, MOH issued a clarification that there were no deaths among suspected or confirmed cases.

• On Jan 25, there was a thread of HardwareZone posts alleging that Singapore was repatriating Wuhan tourists, which led to a clarification by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority that Wuhan travellers were not being denied entry into the country.

• On Jan 24, a WhatsApp message asked the public to avoid visiting Tan Tock Seng Hospital and KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital, purported to come from someone who works at the National Centre for Infectious Diseases. The message also advised people to visit the National University Hospital or another private hospital. MOH clarified that this is not true as all hospitals have strict protocols to handle Wuhan virus cases.

• Also on Jan 24, there was a WhatsApp message containing a video and caption that alleged that the first case of the Wuhan virus was detected at Eastpoint Mall in Simei. MOH issued a clarification that it was a suspect case who had visited a Raffles Medical Clinic in the mall, and that the patient’s evacuation was part of the protocols put in place to ensure public safety.

When asked why Pofma was not used in these other instances, Mr Iswaran said that the latest case had “emerged clearly as a false statement of fact” and that it was in the public interest to correct the post.

Minister for Trade and Industry and People’s Association (PA) deputy chairman Chan Chun Sing, who was also at the panel on Monday, said that one of the roles of the PA was to push out regular information to combat rumours and fake news about the virus.

“In the fight against the (Wuhan virus) situation, this is not just a fight on the medical front, but a fight on the psychological front. We have to stay together, and do not panic.”

Besides the PA, the MCI is working with MOH to share facts about the virus through various channels, including the digital display panels in Housing Board estates and the use of the Gov.sg WhatsApp service to disseminate information and address falsehoods about the virus.

More than 56,000 new subscribers have signed up for the WhatsApp service since Sunday (Jan 26), which has caused technical delays when signing up, said Mr Iswaran, adding that it is working with Facebook and WhatsApp to resolve the issue.

Stressing the need for the public to play a part, he said: “We need the help and cooperation of all Singaporeans, in this critical national effort to prevent misinformation and falsehoods about the Wuhan coronavirus, from sowing fear and panic in our society.”