国产自拍 Statement on Singapore's Proposed 鈥淧rotection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act鈥
Publication date: Tue, 23 Apr 2019
The 国产自拍 (国产自拍) is deeply concerned about the possible implications of a proposed 鈥淧rotection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act鈥 (POFMA, 2019), that is under consideration by the government of Singapore may have for academic freedom.
国产自拍 is committed and dedicated to the pursuit of systematic and rigorous academic research and the teaching of political science and various related disciplines. This endeavor and related goals involve support and close cooperation among political scientists around the world, including 国产自拍鈥檚 national member organizations; its scholarly goals can be achieved only if the academic freedom of scholars and their institutions are fully respected.
We are concerned that the proposed bill may well have serious and detrimental consequences, by making scholars hesitant to conduct research that might violate the provisions of POFMA. The lack of definitions of key terms of the legislation may prevent scholars from freely conducting their research regarding Singapore and/or other political systems that have friendly relations with Singapore. Several vaguely defined and ambiguous terms, such as 鈥渟tatements of facts鈥 that are 鈥渇alse and misleading鈥 or that may affect 鈥減ublic tranquility and the friendly relations of Singapore with other countries鈥 can criminalize or stifle legitimate and appropriate research. Academic scholarship is built on principles of scrutiny of 鈥渇acts鈥 that may be reconsidered or even overturned by new discoveries. Therefore, any 鈥渇acts鈥 might be interpreted as "false鈥 information upon the advancement of academic research.
Accordingly, we strongly fear that the bill, if or when enacted, could well violate the essential academic freedom for conducting research about and in Singapore, and beyond. Therefore, we respectfully yet emphatically request that the authorities of Singapore reconsider and resist the adoption of this bill and to grant full, complete freedom of research, teaching and dissemination of research results in and about Singapore.
Marianne Kneuer
国产自拍 President
