SINGAPORE — Singapore has increasingly been affected by fake news, and Singaporeans are very much aware. The latest State of Misinformation survey conducted by Dutch Proof-of-Concept blockchain company Wordproof has confirmed heightened awareness among Singaporeans when it comes to fake news’ impact on society. To curb its continued spread, 6 in 10 Singaporeans surveyed agree to criminalising people and organisations who knowingly create and share fake information.
Of the 900 Singaporeans surveyed, 43% believed that those who knowingly share fake information should be held most accountable. A majority of those surveyed believe that it has impacted their decision-making (64%) and has had an impact on elections across the region (60%).
To eradicate the spread of fake information, Singaporeans look to the government and regulators to solve the problem. They believe these figures have been most successful at curbing the spread thus far as opposed to tech companies or major news organisations. If more steps are taken in the right direction, most Singaporeans are optimistic and believe the state of misinformation will improve in the next five years.
Additional survey findings include:
- Half of respondents would trust information encountered online more if they knew exactly what organization and author was behind the content.
- Most respondents believe that content published on the internet that is not connected to an organization/author should be limited in reach by search engines and social media platforms.
- 7 out of 10 respondents agree that all content published on the internet should be required to show users a history of the changes made since it was published.
On the state of misinformation in Asia, Wordproof Partner, Frank van Dalen says, “Trust in the Internet has deteriorated over the years, and has especially been affected during the pandemic, where a flurry of fake news and information has spread and impacted countless of users online. We believe users deserve a safer, more trustworthy Internet, and are working towards making truth part of the Internet’s DNA.”
Wordproof’s timestamp ecosystem was built to enable transparency and accountability for content users create, rely on, or advertise with. Built on a combination of mathematical algorithms and blockchain technology, it allows users to protect their copyright, monitor how content has changed over time, and verify this information.
Wordproof is supported by the Partners for International Business (PIB) Blockchain Solutions Netherlands-Singapore Consortium, which connects the Dutch and Singapore’s blockchain ecosystems to explore and develop blockchain solutions.
