Be careful what you post on social media in Singapore!
A 40 year old taxi driver was jailed for spreading a false rumor on Facebook regarding the Covid-19 pandemic in Singapore.
On Wednesday, over a Facebook post. he falsely claimed food outlets would close and urged people to stock up due to impending COVID-19 restrictions.
Eventually, Kenneth Lai Yong Hui, 40, deleted the message shared to the private Facebook group with around 7,500 members after 15 minutes, case records show, but the public prosecutor called for a sentence that would deter others from making similar claims on social media.
“The psychological fight to allay fear and hysteria is just as important as the fight to contain the spread of COVID-19,” deputy public prosecutor Deborah Lee said in her sentencing submission, according to case records.
As the world continues to grapple with the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, governments, media outlets and social media platforms have all taken various measures to stop the spreading of false information.
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