Ministry of Law Deal with harmful news, and not fake news
Do we have a serious problem with fake news? No, we do not. The existing laws are able to cope with any fake news.

We do not need any new controversial law that is suspected to be an attempt to stifle dissent and criticism of the government. 

What is wrong with the approach adopted by the govt?

a) The govt is going after the wrong people. The people that created the most harm are not those that generate fake news. They are the people who spread news, real or fake, with the intent of creating hatred and violence. 

The goal should be to stop the spread of harmful news - whether real or fake. Harmful news are not confined only to hatred and violence. They include the news that cause the society to degenerate. They include spread of pornography and harmful practices, especially those that affect young, ignorant and vulnerable people. 

The best way to deal with the spread of harmful practice is through censorship by the community.

b) The govt is adopting the wrong approach. They pass a law to make it dangerous for citizens to participate in this process. 

A better approach is to allow the citizens to participate in the process. The citizens can help to spot the harmful news and to bring it up to the attention of a panel. The panel can decide on whether the news are harmful and take the appropriate action. If the panel is undecided, they can put the issue to a vote by the citizens.

I hope that this suggestion can give a different and better approach to deal with the spread of harmful information.

Tan Kin Lian

Vote - do you agree with this approach?

 

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