Nearly 100 academics around the world have expressed concern over Singapore's proposed "false news" law, warning that it could threaten freedom of education and undermine the city's desire to become a global educational institution.
The government this month introduced a bill that contains complex mechanisms, including the ability of ministers to order sites like Facebook, Google and Twitter to place warnings near posts posted by officials they consider to be false, and high-profile cases, to reduce them.
If the act is considered cruel and damages Singapore's interests, companies could be fined up to Sg $ 1 million ($ 740,000), while individuals could face up to 10 years in prison.
Authorities in a strictly controlled country insist that measures are needed to prevent online lies that sow social divisions, but the move has provoked outrage at media freedom groups and technology bullies such as Facebook and Google.
Ninety-seven academics from around the world with experience in Singapore and Asia have signed a letter warning of the proposed law "could block the scholarship and set a dangerous precedent in international studies".
"We are concerned that the proposed legislation will have unintended consequences for Singapore academics and researchers," said the group, which includes scholars from Harvard and Yale, as well as institutions from Britain, Australia and parts of Asia.
The letter, released over the weekend, also warned that the law could jeopardize Singapore's "significant efforts to develop itself into a world-renowned institution for excellence in higher education".
Singapore is home to a few of the world's leading institutions of higher learning, attracting scholars from all over the world.
The group called Academics Against Disinformation also wrote to the Department of Education expressing its concern.
The department was quoted in the local media as saying that the draft law does not limit comments and would not interfere with academic research, but scholars said they could not accept the answer as a guarantee.
Singapore is one of several countries that wants to pass a law against falsehoods, and the bill is expected to pass easily in parliament, led by the long-ruling People's Action Party.
