SINGAPORE: A 58-year-old man who received multiple correction directions has been issued a conditional warning for failing to comply with the orders and for communicating falsehoods in his TikTok videos.
“After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, a 24-month conditional warning has been issued to the man for offences under Sections 7 and 15 of the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA),” the POFMA office said on Wednesday (Jul 31).
If he reoffends during this period, he could be prosecuted for the original crime, it added.
Section 7 of POFMA pertains to the communication of false statements. An offence under this section carries a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to S$50,000 (US$37,300), or both.
Section 15 of POFMA is for non-compliance with a correction direction. Any person convicted under this section can be jailed for up to a year, fined up to S$20,000, or both.
The man had posted four TikTok videos between July and August last year which contained falsehoods relating to voting secrecy, Central Provident Fund (CPF) policies and HDB affordability, the POFMA office said.
He was issued correction directions, but he failed to comply fully, including not putting up the required correction notices by the deadline.
He also changed his TikTok account handle, making the correction notices inaccessible to viewers.
A TikTok user, who went by the username “dr.ishhaq.jay”, had received multiple correction directions in August 2023 for making false claims about voting secrecy, CPF and housing policies.