S'poreans cannot afford to be complacent, says minister

Mr Tong pointed out that the legislative framework has been strengthened in recent years, with the introduction of tools like the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Bill and the Online Criminal Harms Act (OCHA).

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The online safety Bill empowers victims of online harms to seek timely relief and obtain redress, as part of moves to strengthen online safety and protection; while OCHA allows the Government to order the takedown of websites, apps and online accounts suspected to be used for criminal activities.

The Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act was also modified to adapt to an era in which social media posts can go viral in a matter of minutes.

Besides empowering the authorities to issue restraining orders against individuals involved in making content that prejudices Singapore’s racial harmony, it has new safeguards against foreign interference, where some 300 clan and business associations here will be designated “race-based entities”.

Laws are also not a fail-safe, Mr Tong noted.

For instance, people can film themselves causing violence and live-stream it.

Even if the original content is taken down quickly, secondary copies of the post, such as screenshots and screengrabs, can still be circulated.