East Asia Forum website blocked again after non-compliance with Pofma order

Online academic platform East Asia Forum has been blocked in Singapore after it did not comply with a correction direction issued by the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) Office on Jan 22.

- Anjali Raguraman Correspondent

The Pofma Office had directed the Australia-based platform to put up a correction notice on an article, titled "Singapore's new prime minister entangled in old politics", that it said contained false statements on Singapore's governance.

Written by Associate Professor Michael Barr from Flinders University's College of Business, Government and Law, the article covered topics such as the handling of the 38 Oxley Road dispute and the trial of Workers' Party chief Pritam Singh.

The correction direction had "required the facts to be displayed along with the falsehoods, enabling end users in Singapore to read both versions and make their own judgments", said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) in a joint statement on Jan 24.

But East Asia Forum had not complied despite three reminders to do so, they said.

As a result, MDDI directed the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to issue access blocking orders. These orders require internet access service providers to disable access for end users in Singapore to the platform's website, where the falsehoods are communicated.