POFMA order issued to Meta over 40 social media posts that reshared activist group's false statements

An order under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) will be issued to Meta regarding 10 Facebook and 30 Instagram posts relating to the scheduling of executions in Singapore, and the prosecution of drug trafficking charges.

The order takes the form of targeted corrected directions, which require Meta to alert users that the posts contain false statements.

Social media posts had reshared false statements made by Transformative Justice Collective

According to a press release by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the 40 posts had re-posted false statements by the Transformative Justice Collective (TJC).

The posts were made by "some individuals" on Oct. 23 and Oct. 24, MHA said, adding that these individuals had "chosen to communicate falsehoods that they knew or should have known contained false statements".

The false statements were originally published in an article on the TJC website, as well as its Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X pages on Oct. 2.

The statements pertained to the scheduling of executions in Singapore, and the prosecution of drug trafficking charges.

A correction direction was issued to TJC on Oct. 5, 2024 which required them to insert a correction notice on their posts, stating that they contained false statements.

TJC complied with the order on Oct. 6.

What will the order to Meta entail?

According to MHA, Meta will have to alert users who have seen the social media posts that they contain false statements.

Users must also be provided with a link to the government’s clarification.

MHA added, "The clarification sets out the falsehoods and facts for the public to examine, without requiring the original posts to be removed. Readers can read both the original posts and the facts, and decide for themselves what is the truth."

This is not the first time Meta has been issued a targeted correction direction in relation to TJC's false statements.

Previously in October, it also received such an order from MHA in relation to Singaporean activist Kokila Annamalai's social media posts.

The posts were about Mohammad Azwan bin Bohari, a 48-year-old Singaporean who was executed on Oct. 4, 2024 after being convicted of trafficking 26.5g of diamorphine, or pure heroin in February 2019.

Then, MHA said its direction came after Annamalai failed to comply with the Oct. 5 correction notice, which required her to carry it on her relevant social media posts.

According to the ministry, she was handed the correction notice because her posts have falsely claimed that "the government schedules and stays executions arbitrarily and without regard for due legal process".

They also conveyed the false message that "the state does not bear the legal burden of proving a drug trafficking charge against the accused person".

Top photos via Meta & MHA