By Aradhana Aravindan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Google said on Thursday an anti-fake news law passed by Singapore's parliament could stunt innovation, a quality that the city-state wants to nurture under plans to expand its tech industry. Singapore's parliament on Wednesday passed The Prevention from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Bill, a law criticised by rights groups, journalists and tech firms over fears it could be used to clamp down on freedom of speech. The passage of the law comes at a time when Singapore, a financial and transport hub, has been making efforts to position itself as regional centre for digital innovation. Google said the law could hamper those efforts. "We remain concerned that this law will hurt innovation and the growth of the digital information ecosystem," the company said in response to a query from Reuters. "How the law is implemented matters, and we are committed to working with policymakers on this process." The law will require online media platforms to … [Read more...] about Google says Singapore’s fake news law may hurt innovation
Stanford study finds most students vulnerable to fake news
Singapore seeks social media “corrections” in proposed fake news law
By Fathin Ungku SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore submitted new fake news legislation in parliament on Monday requiring social media to carry warnings on posts it deems false and remove comments against "public interest". The move came two days after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said governments should play a more active role in regulating the online platform. Singapore, which has been run by the same political party since independence from Britain more than 50 years ago, says it is vulnerable to fake news because of its position as a global financial hub, its mixed ethnic and religious population and widespread internet access. The new bill proposes that the government get online platforms to publish warnings or "corrections" alongside posts carrying false information, without removing them. This would be the "primary response" to counter falsehoods online, the Law Ministry said. "That way, in a sense, people can read whatever they want and make up their minds. That is our … [Read more...] about Singapore seeks social media “corrections” in proposed fake news law
Google, Facebook, Twitter fail to live up to fake news pledge
By Foo Yun Chee BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Google, Facebook and Twitter have fallen short of their pledges to combat fake news, three months before key European elections, the European Commission said on Thursday. The tech companies and trade bodies representing the advertising industry signed up to a voluntary code of conduct in October to tackle the spread of fake news, aiming to stave off more heavy-handed legislation. Brussels is keen to address the threat of fake news or foreign interference during campaigning for the European Parliament elections in May and also for national elections in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine in the coming months. Europe's Security Commissioner Julian King criticised the lack of progress on cracking down on fake news made by the three companies based on their monthly reports. "Sadly they have fallen further behind. They need to live up to the standards we are asking of them, and that they signed up to," King said in a … [Read more...] about Google, Facebook, Twitter fail to live up to fake news pledge
Facebook takes down Indonesia accounts linked to fake news syndicate
JAKARTA (Reuters) - Facebook Inc has removed hundreds of Indonesian accounts, pages and groups from its social network that the company has found were linked to an online group accused of spreading hate speech and fake news. Indonesian police uncovered the existence of the group, called Saracen, in 2016 and arrested three of its members on suspicion of being part of a syndicate being paid to spread incendiary material online through social media. "These accounts and pages were actively working to conceal what they were doing and were linked to the Saracen Group, an online syndicate in Indonesia," Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of Cybersecurity Policy, said on Friday. Gleicher said the pages and accounts deleted had reached 170,000 people on Facebook and more than 65,000 on Instagram. The take-down was due to "coordinated deceptive behaviour ... not due to the content they had shared", he said. Indonesia's police cyber crime unit has previously told Reuters that Saracen was posting … [Read more...] about Facebook takes down Indonesia accounts linked to fake news syndicate
Earth’s first life forms played it cool in deep ocean, Stanford study finds
By Steve Rubenstein Updated 3:02 pm PST, Wednesday, December 12, 2018 A sea anemone, which Stanford researchers Tom Boag and Erik Sperling were able to study sea anenome to find that complex organisms developed in the cold, stable waters of the deep ocean half a billion years ago. (File photo) less A sea anemone, which Stanford researchers Tom Boag and Erik Sperling were able to study sea anenome to find that complex organisms developed in the cold, stable waters of the deep ocean half a billion years ... more Photo: Courtesy NOAA/MBARI / Courtesy NOAA/MBARI Photo: Courtesy NOAA/MBARI / Courtesy NOAA/MBARI Image 1 of / 43 Caption Close Image 1 of 43 A sea anemone, which Stanford researchers Tom Boag and Erik Sperling were able to study sea anenome to find that complex organisms … [Read more...] about Earth’s first life forms played it cool in deep ocean, Stanford study finds