Dear Member
On behalf of the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association and the Singapore Press Club, Allen & Gledhill LLP is delighted to invite you to the following Special Seminar on a complimentary basis.
New Laws to Counter the Spread of Online Falsehoods in Singapore
Jointly organised by Allen & Gledhill, the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association and the Singapore Press Club, this seminar will provide you with an overview and practical understanding of Singapore’s new laws to counter the spread of online falsehoods.
The Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019 (“POFMA”) was gazetted on 25 June 2019. POFMA aims to protect against false statements of fact (“falsehoods”) that affect the public interest. It enables measures to be taken to counteract the effects of such communication. Persons communicating falsehoods can be directed to put up correction notices or, in some cases, take down the falsehood. Internet intermediaries and providers of mass media services can also be directed to put up correction notices or disable access.
For online falsehoods affecting private persons, amendments to the Protection from Harassment Act (“POHA”) have been gazetted on 10 June 2019 to strengthen remedies and improve the speed of recourse.
POFMA and the amendments to POHA will take effect on a date to be appointed.
By way of background, a Select Committee was appointed by Parliament in January 2018 to study the problem of deliberate online falsehoods and to recommend how Singapore should respond. The Select Committee was made up of nine Members of Parliament including the current Senior Minister of State for Law and Health, Mr Edwin Tong, SC who was a Partner of Allen & Gledhill at the time. Allen & Gledhill Partner and Head of our Firm’s Intellectual Property Practice, Dr Stanley Lai, SC, also gave evidence before the Select Committee.
In this session, we are privileged to have as our Special Guest Speaker, Senior Minister of State for Law and Health, Mr Edwin Tong, SC, who will speak about the impetus for POFMA, what POFMA covers and common misconceptions. Thereafter, Dr Stanley Lai, SC will deliver some remarks on the amendments to POHA, including how corporates and executives can potentially remove falsehoods said about them under POHA. The seminar will conclude with a panel discussion which will include representatives from the Singapore Corporate Counsel Association and the Singapore Press Club.
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER
Mr Edwin Tong, SC
Senior Minister of State for Law and Health
DATE
Tuesday, 27 August 2019
PROGRAMME
| 2:30pm | Registration |
| 3:00pm | Seminar and Panel Discussion |
| 5:00pm | End of Seminar |
VENUE
Stephen Riady Auditorium @ NTUC
One One Marina Boulevard, #07-01-01
Singapore 018989
REGISTRATION
Please click here to register your interest by Wednesday, 21 August 2019.
For enquiries, please contact us at +65 6890 7477 or events@allenandgledhill.com.
This promises to be a most thought-provoking session and we look forward to see you there.