Singapore seeks to fight deepfakes in elections with new laws ahead of 2025 polls

In a bid to shore up trust in public institutions, Singapore is considering making legislative changes that will enable candidates to flag deepfake videos of themselves during elections, Senior Minister of State for Digital Development and Information Janil Puthucheary says.

The city state joins other jurisdictions looking to clamp down on manipulated media, with its next general election to be held no later than November 2025.

Puthucheary, who was among panel speakers on Friday at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s Festival of Ideas, said the proposed safeguards would enable election candidates to report digitally manipulated content that realistically depicts them saying or doing something that they did not in fact say or do.

The proposed Elections (Integrity of Online Advertising) (Amendment) Bill grants the Returning Officer, who supervises elections, the power to issue corrective directions to publishers or service providers. Misrepresented candidates can also declare the truthfulness of their claims.

Failure to comply could result in fines, imprisonment, or both. Candidates who submit false or misleading information risk a fine or losing their seats.