社媒算法操纵新加坡选举？内政部重拳出击已封禁100多个账号和网站

Secondly, what if a foreign social media company decides to again manipulate the algorithm so that a particular candidate which they think is going to win is supported even further, so that at a later date, they can claim credit for it and perhaps even undermine the democratic mandate of that candidate and the team?

These problems can affect Members of Parliament (MPs), parties and candidates on all sides, of all persuasions.

So, given this, can the Minister of State share how Singapore and Singaporeans can better protect ourselves and our democracy, so that foreign social media companies do not have a situation where they manipulate algorithms to affect the outcome of our democratic process, so that politics in Singapore remains for Singaporeans to decide?

Ms Sun Xueling: I thank the Member for his supplementary questions. He has obviously given the matter much thought. I would like to come back to my main response, where I mentioned that the Government is aware that social media platforms' algorithms may potentially be manipulated to skew the consumption of information and that if algorithms are deliberately manipulated by foreign persons or entities, including social media companies, to affect our domestic politics, that will constitute foreign interference.

These two paragraphs that I have just shared do not rely on the information being falsehoods. What instead FICA is interested in is that there are activities conducted by foreign actors typically through covert or deceptive means that affect our domestic politics, in order to advance the foreign actors' own interests.

I would like to share an example. In 2024, the Government had issued FICA account restriction directions against a network of 95 social media accounts and also blocked 10 inauthentic websites that could potentially be used to mount hostile information campaigns against Singapore.

Beyond this, the Government also has in place several initiatives to help Singaporeans improve their information literacy skills.

We will continue to study the evolving online landscape and review if additional regulations for social media services are needed as part of ongoing efforts to enhance online safety in Singapore and strengthen our defences against foreign interference.

Mr Speaker: Mr Pritam Singh.

Mr Pritam Singh (Aljunied): Can I ask, Mr Speaker, how will the Ministry independently ascertain whether algorithms have been manipulated for the reasons that are put in the Parliamentary Question?

Ms Sun Xueling: I thank the Member his supplementary question. In and of itself, algorithms are not illegal. Many social media companies have algorithms for the purposes of pushing out their information.

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