The Los Angeles Times has a chilling story about the growth of “fake news” laws and prosecutions across Asia.
Thailand, Taiwan, Cambodia, and other southeast-Asian governments are enacting or expanding their laws to crackdown on private news and social media which criticizes governments.
In China and Vietnam, the governments already own or license all media, so control is more direct. “China’s 2017 Provisions for the Administration of Internet News Information Services require that online news providers reprint information from government-approved organizations without changing the content.”
Even in Singapore, where there is a tradition of more freedom, “legislators are considering regulations to strengthen media controls that are already in place. Journalists can now be jailed for libel, threats to national security or “ill will” against religious or racial groups, Reporters Without Borders said.”
