Candidates urged to fact-check information, guard against foreign interference

Candidates in the May 3 general election have been advised to fact-check information they receive and stay alert to foreign interference threats and hidden agendas before sharing or reacting to the information in the context of their campaigns.

- Vihanya Rakshika

This reminder was issued in a joint advisory on April 19 by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA), and the Elections Department, which highlighted the risks of foreign interference and cyber-security threats ahead of the polls.

Foreign interference includes attempts by foreign actors to manipulate domestic politics through covert and deceptive means, with the goal of advancing the foreign actor's own interests, the advisory said. Such actions undermine political sovereignty and social cohesion.

While the April 19 advisory acknowledged that such threats have been observed overseas, it stressed that Singapore is not immune.

"The outcome of Singapore's elections must be for Singaporeans alone to decide. We should safeguard the integrity of our electoral processes," said the advisory.