Sri Lanka Implements Singapore Style Law to Control Fake News

In a recent announcement , Sri Lanka’s Information Minister, Keheliya Rambukwella, shared that the country is drafting a new law to check the spread of fake news on social media platforms. “The spread of false information on the internet poses a serious threat and is seen as being used to divide society, to spread hatred and to weaken democratic institutions.”

Similar to other countries, fake news has been a recurring issue in Sri Lanka. In Nov. 2019, when the campaign for Sri Lanka’s presidential election ended, the voters were concerned about an apparent spike in fake news on social media, and its possible impact over the following two days. Candidate supporters “unleashed racist posts” and “fraudulent news-based attacks online — mostly on Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter.”

The government has sought to criminalize fake news since midyear 2019. The “false news” bill as it was informally known “was proposed against the backdrop of the Easter Sunday massacre of April 21 2019, where an armed group bombed three Catholic churches and three hotels, claiming the lives of more than 250 people.” This bombing marked the start of anti-Muslim violence May 13 2019; mobs targeted homes, businesses, vehicles, and religious buildings known to be owned or frequented by Muslims. These attacks were apparently instigated by social media posts.

At the end of May 2019, the Sri Lankan cabinet approved amendments to the penal and criminal procedure codes to criminalize the dissemination of “false news” where it is deemed to affect “communal harmony” or “state security.” Pursuant to the amendments, the government clarified that discussions are currently underway at the cabinet level to introduce laws like the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) applied in Singapore.

Sri Lanka reportedly studied Singapore’s controversial Infocomm Media Development Authority Act in addition to POFMA and will likely use it as the framework for the new laws in the country.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is a statutory board (a government agency with specific legal powers) and operates under the authority of the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI). The IMDA is the product of the restructuring and merging of the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) and the Media Development Authority (MDA). Following the passing of the Info-communications Media Development Authority Bill in Parliament August 16, 2016, IMDA was launched on Sept. 30 of that year.

Singapore’s IMDA law regulates the broadcasting of content of all types of media. Under the existing framework , “media” is defined “as referring to any film, newspaper, broadcasting service or publication (as defined in the Films Act, Newspaper and Printing Presses Act, the Broadcasting Act and the Undesirable Publications Act respectively).” Not surprisingly, it has received criticism from various organizations including the International Press Institute over allegations of controlling the media.

POFMA was passed in the Singapore Parliament. The law allows relevant authorities to act on allegations of fake news or information “through a graduated process of enforcing links to fact-checking statements, censorship of website or assets on social media platforms and criminal charges.”

Facebook has already received 14 POFMA orders in Singapore. Under these orders, the social media giant has been asked to post corrections, as well as remove access to specific Facebook pages for users in Singapore. Singapore Management University (SMU) law professor Eugene Tan makes an interesting point when he says, “With or without POFMA, people are not always going to agree with the Government’s account or narrative,” noting that POFMA is “not the silver bullet to preventing truth decay.” He went on to add that, “although POFMA is not a game-changer, it is a useful tool in the Government’s legislative arsenal to deal with falsehoods that can undoubtedly harm us.”

Although Sri Lanka has taken a page out of Singapore’s law book with the intention to control fake news, it remains to be seen how appropriately the law is adapted to solve the country’s problems and how much of a censorship issue it creates.

Related Insights

Spherex Classification Tool Now Approved for Home Entertainment Content in Australia

Spherex

Regulation

Classification

The Albanese Government has updated the Spherex Classification Tool approval to include ratings for theatrical releases, home entertainment, and streaming content in Australia. Spherex was previously approved to classify online films.

The update underscores the Australian Classification Board’s confidence in Spherex as a tool to help Australian viewers make informed choices about the content they consume. This means Australians can now access a range of new films sooner than they might across all formats and windows.

Spherex has a longstanding relationship with the Australian Classification Board. Since 2020, Spherex has collaborated closely with the Australian Government to ensure its technology reliably generates classification decisions that meet Australian standards and viewers' expectations.

As the world’s only commercial provider of local age ratings, Spherex has successfully produced classification decisions for high volumes of online content in over 100 countries. Since 2018, Spherex has issued over one million age ratings for digital content, including films, TV shows, and trailers, distributed by its clients worldwide.

Spherex customers, including Umbrella Entertainment, Madman Entertainment, and Sugoi Co., rely on its AI-based platform to obtain local age ratings in Australia and significantly improve efficiency, cost reduction, and market reach.

Discover how Spherex's cutting-edge AI-based platform can streamline your content classification process and enhance your market reach while reducing costs.

Visit spherex.com today and see how we can support your content distribution needs.

Read Now

nScreenNoise - Interview Spherex: Avoiding the cultural dead zone

Spherex

Culture

One of the conundrums of streaming is that although a service can deliver content globally, it is not guaranteed to be acceptable in a particular local market. Netflix found this out when it announced global availability in 2016 at CES and was quickly banned in markets like Indonesia, where some of the content was deemed too violent or sexual. In 2016, without boots on the ground in a local market, it wasn’t easy to assess whether a show or movie would be culturally acceptable.

Today, global media companies are acutely aware of the importance of their content’s cultural fit. Moreover, they have a company like Spherex to help them prepare their content to ensure it fits with any country of interest. I interviewed Teresa Phillips, the Co-Founder and CEO of Spherex, at the recent OTT.X Summit in Los Angeles. She explained how the company is leveraging AI and its massive cultural profiling database to help companies prepare content for target markets. She also explained how, in the near future, AI would aid the company in measuring a movie or show’s cultural distance from a regional market and help it avoid falling into the failure zone between cultural fit and novelty interest.

Listen to the full interview here.

Read Now

Spherex Featured in the DPP's IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report

Spherex

Industry

Spherex was featured in the DPP’s IBC 2024: Demand versus Supply Report, a comprehensive look at how the M&E industry is meeting key customer demands. The report focuses on the topics of empowering creators, understanding audiences, engaging users, and innovating the newsroom. It also highlights many of the technical innovations seen at the recent IBC Show.

An article by Spherex’s CEO Teresa Phillips titled "Navigating Cultural Resonance in Global Media: The Art and Science of Culture Mixing" was featured in the report, exploring how Spherex is pioneering the future of culturally informed content.

Teresa shares how cultural mixing has become a critical strategy for creating content that appeals to diverse audiences in today's global media landscape. This phenomenon involves blending elements from different cultures to craft films and television shows that resonate globally while adhering to local regulations.

However, the process of culture mixing is fraught with risks. Superficial or stereotypical representations can lead to accusations of cultural appropriation or insensitivity, alienating audiences and damaging a company's reputation. For example, imposing Western concepts on Eastern content without proper context can feel inauthentic and jarring to local viewers. These missteps highlight the need for a nuanced understanding of cultural elements to ensure that content is respectful and engaging.

To address these challenges, M&E companies are increasingly turning to data-driven solutions. Platforms like SpherexAI utilize artificial intelligence to analyze visual, audio, and textual elements, providing insights into how well content aligns with cultural and regulatory standards across over 200 countries and territories. This approach helps media companies understand the "cultural distance" between a title's origin and its target market, enabling them to make informed decisions about global distribution.

By leveraging these advanced tools, M&E companies can go beyond traditional content localization. They can create media that actively engages and resonates with diverse audiences. As the industry continues to evolve, those companies that embrace culturally informed, data-driven approaches will be better positioned to succeed, fostering cross-cultural understanding and trust while delivering globally appealing content.

Download the report here.

Read Now