Dr Shashi Jayakumar, executive director of security consultancy SJK Geostrategic Advisory, said: “These websites may not on the surface seem to have actively ramped up operations in a manner that might immediately subvert social resilience or cohesion in Singapore.
“However, the websites in question could be pre-emptive nodes that could be triggered as and when necessary.”
He added that those behind information operations will always want an avenue and an option to influence Singaporeans, “particularly given rising geopolitical contestation”.
PUTTING UP A FRONT
Assoc Prof Tan said that based on the resources needed and the effort that goes into such a long-term strategy, they are “likely to be state actors or state-affiliated actors”, who often use intermediaries such as genuine public relations firms.
Mr Ang noted that the networks in this case appear to be owned by public relations companies, which is consistent with a pattern observed globally and in the Southeast Asian region.
In its Adversarial Threat Report in November last year, Meta highlighted the rise of coordinated inauthentic behaviour online, which involves coordinated efforts to manipulate public debate for a strategic goal.
“When we investigate and remove these operations, we focus on behaviour rather than content – no matter who’s behind them, what they post or whether they’re foreign or domestic,” it said.
According to a report by South Korea’s National Cyber Security Center Joint Analysis Team, such networks typically use a newswire service, which helps distribute press releases to multiple media outlets.
These newswire services are often operated by public relations firms that run their own platforms, directly distributing the clients’ materials to affiliated outlets after editing them, while monitoring and providing the results to the customer.
ROLE OF REGULATION
The government on Tuesday said it will review the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Act (FICA), to see how it could be used to take pre-emptive action against websites.
“Regulation is a necessary part of the solution, but it’s not sufficient,” said Assoc Prof Tan, adding that digital literacy among the population is still most crucial.
“The government can put the laws in place, but if people believe the falsehoods, then there’s nothing the laws can do about that.”
Mr Ang said that regulation will always be needed to give platforms and internet service providers “a legal basis” to assist and act in such circumstances.
“But we all have a part to play in being careful about what we read and share, especially if the content is emotive, regardless of how many websites seem to be displaying it,” he said.
