Singapore Seeks Even More Control Over Online Media

Posted by timothy on Thursday May 30, 2013 @09:22AM from the eric-holder's-new-consulting-gig dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Currently ranked 149th globally in terms of press freedom, alongside Iraq and Myanmar, the Singapore government has chosen to further tighten its grip on the media instead of letting up. The Media Development Authority (MDA) announced yesterday that 'online news sites' reporting regularly on issues relating to Singapore and have significant reach among readers here will require an individual license from the MDA. Under the regime, website operators have to comply within 24 hours with any directives from the MDA to take down content that breaches standards. These sites also have to put up a 'performance bond' of S$50,000. The Government also plans to amend the Broadcasting Act next year, to ensure that websites which are hosted overseas but report on Singapore news are brought under the licensing framework as well."

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Re:Overseas laws by tlhIngan · 2013-05-30 09:40 · Score: 5, Interesting

Usually when a country expects other countries to obey their laws, things don't work out quite so well.
Except well, Singapore has a great firewall as well, and all media is censored prior to sale. If you note, it's any site with a large number of Singaporean readers. Which means if you don't comply, they will simply cut you off at the gateway. If you have any media assets locally, they can be seized. Or if you publish anything, expect Customs ot sieze them as well.
If you're a big publisher, this is quite problematic, especially if you have related media assets like DVDs and such.
And nevermind that Singapore is a huge port into Asia and often a stopover or destination.