TOC's alternate website & Heidoh to be Declared Online Locations from Jul. 1 for communicating falsehoods: MDDI

The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) has declared two websites linked to local independent media platform The Online Citizen (TOC) as Declared Online Locations (DOLs) under Section 32 of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act 2019 (POFMA).

The two websites are TOC's alternate website and Heidoh's website, MDDI said in a statement on Jun. 30.

Existing DOL declaration

TOC’s primary website, alongside its Facebook, Instagram and X pages, were declared as DOLs in June 2025 for repeatedly communicating falsehoods.

It marked the second time TOC's website, Facebook and X pages had been designated as DOLs.

The declaration took effect on Jul. 22, 2025, and remains in force for two years till Jul. 21, 2027.

During this period, each of TOC’s DOLs must display a notice informing platform users that the platform:

• Has been declared as a DOL;
• Has communicated multiple falsehoods; and
• Should be approached with caution when used as a source of information.

The operator of the declared online locations is also prohibited from receiving financial or other material benefits from operating the platforms.

Set up alternate websites

According to MDDI, following the initial declaration of TOC's primary website as a DOL in 2025, the platform's operator set up alternative online locations to publish content.

As the new websites use different Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), they are not automatically subject to the existing DOL declaration.

According to the ministry, this has enabled the operator to continue receiving financial benefits from the sites through paid content, including online advertisements.

TOC's alternate website

MDDI said TOC's alternate website is hosted on the same domain as its primary website and closely mirrors its branding and appearance.

Since May this year, visitors to TOC's primary website have also been redirected to the alternate website through links on its homepage.

Heidoh's website

Heidoh is an alternative news site set up by TOC’s operator in 2025, which republished content carried on TOC's websites for a period in 2026.

MDDI added that TOC's operator continues to communicate falsehoods to readers in Singapore through both websites.

In March 2026, both websites were issued two POFMA Correction Directions each over falsehoods relating to:

• The re-appointment of Attorney-General Lucien Wong; and
• The reply by the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs to Parliamentary Questions on Singaporeans allegedly serving in the Israeli Defense Forces.

One was issued on Mar. 23 after TOC published an article on Wong's reappointment.

According to MDDI, the article falsely alleged that:

1. Wong has not recused himself from matters pertaining to the compulsory acquisition of 38 Oxley Road, the home of Singapore's founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.
2. Workers' Party chair Sylvia Lim was not allowed to ask follow-up questions during a parliamentary debate on the attorney-general's reappointment process
3. The Constitution provides for the Attorney-General to retire at age 60 without any qualification or proviso, but has appointed Wong until he is 75.

The second Correction Direction was issued after TOC published an article about Shanmugam's parliamentary reply on Singaporeans allegedly serving in the Israeli Defense Forces.

According to MDDI, the article falsely alleged that Shanmugam had deliberately provided incomplete answers and suggested that the government possessed sufficient information to take action.

Alternate sites declared as DOLs

MDDI said it has decided to declare both websites as DOLs as TOC had continued communicating falsehoods through the alternate platforms while attempting to circumvent the requirements imposed on its existing DOLs.

"This ensures that Singaporeans visiting these sites are alerted to their record of communicating falsehoods, and prevents TOC’s operator from continuing to profit from the harmful act of spreading online falsehoods in Singapore," said the ministry.

The declaration will take effect on Jul. 1, 2026, and will remain in force for two years, till Jun. 30, 2028 at noon.

The conditions of the new declaration are the same as those applying to TOC's existing declared online locations.

According to the ministry, the declaration does not require the websites to cease operations.

However, digital advertising agencies and other service providers must take reasonable steps to ensure that paid content placed on the two websites is not communicated in Singapore.

Individuals and companies are also not allowed to provide financial support to the declared online locations to avoid promoting the communication of falsehoods in Singapore.