Addressing the fears of many in the online community, Minister for Communications and Information Dr Yaacob Ibrahim yesterday signaled that government news or commentary will not be targeted under the new licensing regime for Singapore news sites, as long as they are factual and not misleading, and said that such claims are 'far fetched'.
Clarifying the guidelines on restricted content, he said:"Nowhere do the guidelines state that news sites cannot question or highlight the shortcomings of government policies, as long as the assessments are well intentioned, and not based on factual inaccuracies with the intention to mislead the public."
He said this in a nine-page response to 22 common questions triggered by the licensing regime which took effect on Saturday, as well as issued a statement.
The minister also said time will tell in whether this is an attempt to limit public discourse online.
"I think the best way is for people to see, after the licenses are issued, whether the activists are indeed limited in their public discourse."
"I expect that the sites will continue to operate as before. In fact, I hope that the activists who are today making this far fetched claim will be honest enough to admit it when the time comes."
In a two-page statement to the media, Dr Yaacob also emphasized that the government has not shifted away from the 'light touch regulation', but that it does not mean the Internet and online behaviour is not regulated.
Source: TodayOnline