The committee set up by the Government to study the issue of online falsehoods has invited 79 individuals and organisations to provide their views at its public hearings, which will begin in Parliament next Wednesday (March 14).

“These individuals and organisations were selected to represent a cross section of different stakeholder groups, or because their written representations require further clarification,” said the Office of the Clerk of Parliament in a press release on Friday.

Information on the written representations received, and the public hearings, are available on the Select Committee on Deliberate Online Falsehoods’ website at www.parliament.gov.sg/sconlinefalsehoods, added the release.

Formed on January 10, the 10-member select committee was convened after Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam tabled a motion in Parliament on the need to convene the team. All 80 members of the House voted in favour of it.

The committee will review how Singapore can tackle and prevent fake news, examine the motivations for spreading these falsehoods, the types of individuals and entities that engage in such activity, as well as the consequences that such actions can have on the nation. One of the committee’s tasks is to solicit views from the public, and recommend solutions.

The committee received a total of 164 written representations after the deadline on Wednesday (March 7). According to the release, the written representors include media organisations, technology firms, foreign and local academics and experts, commentators, and members of the public.

Mr Charles Chong, the committee’s chairman and Member of Parliament for Punggol East, had told TODAY that having more views will help the team make better recommendations.

Aside from the March 14 session, public hearings will be held on two more separate occasions, March 22 to 23, and March 27 to 29. They will be held at a hearing room in Parliament House, and will be open to the public and the media.

Source:
courtesy of TODAY

by Today

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