Censorship?

Tech giants have reacted with horror after Singapore proposed laws against "fake news" allowing authorities to order the removal of content and impose hefty fines, in what critics say is an assault on free speech.

The government unveiled a bill last week containing tough measures, including powers for ministers to order social media sites like Facebook to put warnings next to posts authorities believe to be false and in extreme cases take them down.

If an action is deemed malicious and damaging to Singapore's interests, companies could be hit with fines of up to Sg$1 million ($740,000). Individuals could face jail terms of up to 10 years.

Authorities in the tightly-controlled country — long criticised for restricting civil liberties — insist the measures are necessary to stop the circulation of falsehoods which could sow divisions in the multi-ethnic city-state.

But press freedom groups condemned the proposals, saying they could stifle online discussion, as did tech companies which have big investments in the ultra-modern city.

"As the most far-reaching legislation of its kind to date, this level of overreach poses significant risks to freedom of expression and speech," said the Asia Internet Coalition, an industry association whose members include Facebook, Google and Twitter.

Simon Milner, Facebook's vice president of public policy in Asia-Pacific, said the social media giant was concerned about potentially being compelled to remove content.

"Giving people a place to express themselves freely and safely is important to us and we have a responsibility to handle any government request to remove alleged misinformation carefully and thoughtfully," he said in a statement.

The internet is a relatively free space in Singapore and there are some local alternative news sites, which are typically more critical of the authorities than the traditional, pro-government newspapers and TV.

Singapore is among several countries pushing legislation to fight fake news, and the government stressed ordering "corrections" to be placed alongside falsehoods would be the primary response, rather than jail or fines.

A government decision can also be appealed to the courts.

- 'Courts will decide' -

K. Shanmugam, law and home affairs minister, said in a Facebook post that "the proposed law targets false statements of fact — not opinions, not criticisms.

"Ultimately, disagreement over truth and falsity will be decided by the courts".

Google, Facebook and Twitter have their Asia headquarters in Singapore, a city of 5.6 million which is popular with expats as it is developed, safe and efficient.

But there were already signs of tensions with tech companies as the government prepared to unveil the laws. During parliamentary hearings last year about tackling online falsehoods, Google and Facebook urged the government not to introduce new laws.

In November, Facebook refused a request to remove an article linking Singapore to a financial scandal in Malaysia which the government said was untrue — prompting the law ministry to say the firm "cannot be relied upon to filter falsehoods".

Critics say one of the most worrying aspects of the new legislation is that it is up to authorities to decide what is false and what is not.

While authorities insist decisions can be appealed, Kirsten Han, the Singapore-based editor of regional news site New Naratif, said most people do not have the resources or will to fight the government.

"Even if you are convinced that your Facebook post is in the right, how many average Singaporeans would appeal to the minister, and then spend thousands of dollars to hire a lawyer and file an application in the court?" she told AFP.

Human Rights Watch has described the bill as "sweepingly broad" while critics note Singapore already has tough laws against sedition, defamation and disturbing racial harmony, that can be used to police the web.

But it is not yet clear how the legislation — which is likely to pass easily through the ruling party-dominated parliament — will be used in practice, and some believe authorities will wield it cautiously.

"I think that the government will be very careful in their implementation of the law," said Professor Ang Peng Hwa, from the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information in Singapore.

"I think, in general, there's a very high level of trust in the government and its institutions by foreign entities, and so I don't see them... being too trigger-happy about the implementation of this bill."

I find it worse that a supposedly egalitarian and democratric country like the Netherlands still has those laws in place and sent a man to prison just two years ago for said "crime". Worse, very few of its parties support repealing it.

He was found to have doctored images of executions online to include the king's face in place of those of the actual victims, the judiciary said.

"This behaviour is unacceptable in our society and demands that a penalty be imposed on the suspect," it said in a statement.

The Dutch D66 political party is campaigning to abolish the lese majeste law, which was last used in 2014 after an activist shouted obscene slogans about the royal family during a protest.

Prosecutors initially charged the protester but reversed the decision after the move was condemned as an attack on freedom of speech.

The Netherlands' lese majeste law dates from 1881 and carries sentences of up to five years jail or a fine of 20,000 euros ($22,200; £16,700).

In total 18 prosecutions were brought under the law between 2000 and 2012, half of which resulted in convictions, Dutch TV reported.

...Still kind of messed up that one can be imprisoned for insulting cops.

BANGKOK (AP) — Police in Thailand have arrested a political activist accused of threatening national security by posting a comment on Facebook about how royal families in other nations lost power.

The arrest Monday night of Karn Pongpraphapan came after an unprecedented amount of social media commentary last week that implicitly criticized Thailand's monarchy by complaining about congestion caused by police blocking traffic for the motorcades of royal family members.

Criticism of the monarchy is taboo, and sharing material deemed insulting to it is punishable by 3-15 years' imprisonment.

The blocking of traffic for royal vehicles has long been the subject of private grumbling, but recent road congestion unleashed a torrent of tweets with the Thai language hashtag meaning #royalmotorcade, some veering into sharper comments. The hashtag was used hundreds of thousands of times.

A statement issued Tuesday by the police Technology Crime Suppression Division referred to "inappropriate hashtags" that circulated last week on social networks and were allegedly created by an unscrupulous group of people. It accused the arrested suspect, who was not identified by name in the statement, of posting "inappropriate content" on his Facebook page "spreading hatred."

Thai media reported that Karn's Facebook post referred to the fall of monarchies in Russia, France and Germany, but not Thailand.

The police statement said the post received around 100 comments and 50 shares, causing "a number of people to be very upset."

In reaction, Minister of Digital Economy and Society Buddhipongse Punnakanta was said to have ordered the police technology division to investigate, leading to the arrest. Police charged Karn under Section 14 of the Computer Crime Act, "posting contents that are a threat to national security," an offense punishable by up to five years in prison. He was released on bail Tuesday afternoon and ordered by the court not to post similar comments again.

Karn's lawyer, Winyat Chatmontree, told The Associated Press that his 25-year-old client was arrested for posting about foreign history on his Facebook page on Oct. 2, and took down the post after a few hours when it became controversial.

"I think the authorities want to make an example of him to send a message to others who express their minds freely on many issues," Winyat said. He said Karn had nothing to do with the motorcade hashtag.

An arrest was not surprising in view of the attention the hashtag attracted. Digital Economy Minister Buddhipongse announced Sunday that his office and the police would soon arrest those who used offensive words about the Thai royal family. He appeared to be reacting to criticism from royalists who accused him of failing to act.

Buddhipongse said at a news conference Tuesday that while some accused his ministry of not doing enough on the issue, "we are not targeting anyone in particular and we have done everything by the book and based on facts, especially getting permission from a court of law."

Thailand's government is headed by Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who as army commander staged a coup in 2014 and headed a military regime that ran the country until this year. A military-backed party won a March election that critics charged was unfair, and Prayuth was reappointed prime minister. The military considers protecting the monarchy one of its major missions.