2 websites linked to digital news portal The Online Citizen required to comply with POFMA sanctions

Two websites linked to The Online Citizen (TOC) will be required from July 1 to carry a notice that will mark each of them as a Declared Online Location (DOL).

The notices are aimed at alerting viewers that the sites have “a record of communicating falsehoods”, said the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) in a statement on June 30.

TOC itself was marked with a DOL notice, the last in June 2025. However, the two sites issued with a DOL notice on June 30 – theonlinecitizen.com and heidoh.com – have different URLs and were not subject to the same requirements.

That means TOC has been able to receive financial benefits by running paid content on the two websites, such as through online advertisements, the statement added.

The designation requires the two websites to comply with actions under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) that will prevent the operator from financially benefiting as long as the DOL notice is in place.

The DOL notices on the two sites will be in place for two years until June 30, 2028.

Service providers, including digital advertising agencies, will have to take steps to ensure that paid content on the two sites is not made available in Singapore, the MDDI statement said.

Individuals and companies are also barred from providing financial support to the two sites.

The statement said: “Members of the public are strongly advised to be mindful of TOC’s history of communicating falsehoods, including on its affiliated sites, and to fact-check information published on the DOLs affiliated with TOC against official sources.”

The owner or operator of a DOL can, however, apply to the Digital Development and Information Minister to suspend, vary or cancel the declaration. If the minister rejects the application, an appeal can be filed with the High Court.

In March, both TOC-linked sites had two correction directions imposed on them.

One was linked to a report on the reappointment of Attorney-General Lucien Wong. The other was over a report about the Government’s response to two Singaporeans who allegedly served in the Israel Defence Forces in the Gaza conflict.

TOC was also required to publish the correction directions in the print pages of The Straits Times.

Digital Development and Information Minister Josephine Teo, in a written parliamentary reply on April 8, said the aim was to ensure the facts reached more people, not just an online audience.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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