SINGAPORE: The Select Committee set up to look into combating the problem of deliberate online falsehoods announced on Friday (Mar 9) that it has invited 79 individuals and organisations for its public hearings in March.
The hearings, which will commence on Mar 14, are to consider oral evidence presented by experts, industry stakeholders and members of the public.
The committee said the individuals and organisations were selected to represent a cross-section of different stakeholder groups, or because their written representations require further clarification.
The committee also said that the final number of written representations received over seven weeks was 164.
Chairman of the committee Charles Chong had told Channel NewsAsia on Wednesday (Mar 7) that the committee had received 162 written submissions from the public.
The presenters include media organisations, technology companies, foreign and local academics and experts, commentators, and members of the public, the committee said.
AdvertisementAdvertisementParliament appointed a Select Committee in January to look at the problem of misinformation online, amid a rising threat of fake news worldwide. It invited the public to submit written representations on the issue.
Submissions closed at 4.30pm on Wednesday after being extended from an initial deadline of Feb 28.
The hearings are to be held from Mar 14 to 16, Mar 22 to 23 and Mar 27 to 29, though the committee will decide as the hearings progress whether all the dates will be used.
The Select Committee is chaired by Deputy Speaker Charles Chong and comprises Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam, Social and Family Development Minister Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information and Education Dr Janil Puthucheary, and MPs Rahayu Mahzam, Seah Kian Peng, Sun Xueling and Edwin Tong from the People's Action Party. The other members are Workers' Party MP Pritam Singh and Nominated Member of Parliament Chia Yong Yong.
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