Singapore’s fight against Misinformation

With misinformation on the rise, Singapore has been ramping up its efforts to combat its spread, including by equipping more people with skills to identify such inaccurate information.

Current measures taken by the Government like the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) and Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (FICA) serve to protect both the public and Singapore’s interests against misinformation. But everyone can play a part too to counter falsehoods.

What is misinformation?

Misinformation refers to false or inaccurate information that is spread, regardless of intent to deceive. It's like when someone shares an incorrect fact or an unverified rumour without knowing that it's not true.  

With content being easily spread via social media platforms, and increased accessibility to widely available editing tools, misinformation has become more common.

The growing use of Generative AI (artificial intelligence) has added to a new wave of misinformation and scams that involve manipulated imagery or deepfake videos.

Here are some examples of misinformation in recent years.

Source: Channel News Asia, 2024; The Straits Times, 2025; Singapore Police Force, 2025; The Straits Times, 2023

Misinformation can cause public alarm, sow discord within various groups in society, and waste precious time and resources.

Can you identify misinformation?

Misinformation can be difficult to spot for the untrained eye. They can appear to look like legitimate news sites, and they often feature a combination of shocking images or videos with attention-grabbing headlines to trigger readers into sharing them.

How to safeguard yourself

But there are ways to discern the real from the fake. Here are some giveaway signs of misinformation.

• Unreliable source If the website isn’t one that you’re familiar with, or has a reputation of being unreliable, think twice to make sure you aren’t being deceived.

• Established sites aren’t covering the story Go to established media outlets to check if they’re covering it. If they aren’t, be more wary as it’s likely to be false.

• The story’s too good to be true Sensational headlines, accompanied by attention-grabbing pictures or videos, aim to entice you to click on them. Such “clickbaits” may just serve to grow their website’s traffic without care for credibility. Or worse, lead you to scams.

• Suspicious visuals: Online misinformation usually contain various telltale signs of digital tampering. Hence, it is good to pick up the latest tips on how to spot real and digitally-altered content.

• It triggers strong emotions Feeling angry or upset after reading an article or post? This is due to the sensationalised nature of misinformation that triggers your emotions to either share or forward them without checking the facts.

Be S.U.R.E. Before You Share

Before you share a piece of news, think about whether it is credible, using the National Library Board’s S.U.R.E. framework.

SOURCE

Where did the content originate from? Is there a link provided and how credible is the publisher?

UNDERSTAND

Search for clarity in what you’re reading. Does the article contain factual information that makes sense? Does it trigger strong emotions? Do offers sound too good to be true?

RESEARCH

Go beyond the initial source. Has it been published elsewhere before? Check the post’s date. It is best to have another two or more sources to confirm in the information is real.

EVALUATE

Look at the story from various angles. What was the intent of the post? Check your own biases and emotions. Are they affecting your judgement? Think before you share!

Watch this video here

For more information, visit NLB’s S.U.R.E. website at  https://go.gov.sg/nlb-sure-2024