Facebook removes page spoofing students' union, carrying misleading posts
By Malavika Menon, The Sunday Times, 24 Nov 2019
Facebook has taken down a page spoofing a local university group after accounts linked to it failed to meet community guidelines.
The social media giant said yesterday that the page - NUSSU-NUS Students United - was removed for "violating authenticity policies".
A spokesman added that fake accounts linked to it had failed to meet community and authenticity guidelines.
The NUSSU-NUS Students United page is one of many pages parodying the NUS Students' Union or NUSSU.
The page was taken down a day after it emerged that it had misused a quote from Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam.
In its post last Sunday, the page quoted Mr Shanmugam as having said in Parliament on Oct 7: "If we do not separate religion from politics, then whose religion comes into politics?"
Mr Goh Chour Thong, the minister's press secretary, said the post misused this quote to falsely assert that if People's Action Party member Rachel Ong wants to run for elections, she should "resign ALL executive positions with ROHEI, an organisation with religious leanings".
"The minister did not say that a political candidate running for elections, or an MP, must resign from all executive positions in organisations with religious leanings," said Mr Goh.
"In fact, he said the very opposite, that they can continue to hold such posts, and as he said, these things must be dealt with wisdom and common sense."
He also said the post had taken a quote of the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew out of context to mislead people.
Mr Lee had said in the 1987 National Day Rally: "Churchmen, lay preachers, priests, monks, Muslim theologians, all those who claim divine sanctions of holy insights, take off your clerical robes before you take on anything economic or political. Take it off."
The post misuses Mr Lee's quote to falsely assert that he had meant that religious leaders have no political rights, said Mr Goh.
"Mr Lee was actually saying that religious leaders who wanted to make political statements should not do so in their capacity as religious leaders," he added. "The name, as well as its deliberately misleading posts, shows the site is run by people with no integrity, bent on sowing discord and hatred."
Facebook said its authenticity policy states that it believes "people are more accountable for their statements and actions when they use their authentic identities".
"That's why we require people to connect on Facebook using the name that they go by in everyday life. Our policies are intended to create a safe environment where people can trust and hold one another accountable," it said.
By Malavika Menon, The Sunday Times, 24 Nov 2019
The social media giant said yesterday that the page - NUSSU-NUS Students United - was removed for "violating authenticity policies".
A spokesman added that fake accounts linked to it had failed to meet community and authenticity guidelines.
The NUSSU-NUS Students United page is one of many pages parodying the NUS Students' Union or NUSSU.
The page was taken down a day after it emerged that it had misused a quote from Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam.
In its post last Sunday, the page quoted Mr Shanmugam as having said in Parliament on Oct 7: "If we do not separate religion from politics, then whose religion comes into politics?"
Mr Goh Chour Thong, the minister's press secretary, said the post misused this quote to falsely assert that if People's Action Party member Rachel Ong wants to run for elections, she should "resign ALL executive positions with ROHEI, an organisation with religious leanings".
"The minister did not say that a political candidate running for elections, or an MP, must resign from all executive positions in organisations with religious leanings," said Mr Goh.
"In fact, he said the very opposite, that they can continue to hold such posts, and as he said, these things must be dealt with wisdom and common sense."
He also said the post had taken a quote of the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew out of context to mislead people.
Mr Lee had said in the 1987 National Day Rally: "Churchmen, lay preachers, priests, monks, Muslim theologians, all those who claim divine sanctions of holy insights, take off your clerical robes before you take on anything economic or political. Take it off."
The post misuses Mr Lee's quote to falsely assert that he had meant that religious leaders have no political rights, said Mr Goh.
"Mr Lee was actually saying that religious leaders who wanted to make political statements should not do so in their capacity as religious leaders," he added. "The name, as well as its deliberately misleading posts, shows the site is run by people with no integrity, bent on sowing discord and hatred."
Facebook said its authenticity policy states that it believes "people are more accountable for their statements and actions when they use their authentic identities".
"That's why we require people to connect on Facebook using the name that they go by in everyday life. Our policies are intended to create a safe environment where people can trust and hold one another accountable," it said.
NUSSU spoof page misquotes Shanmugam on religion and politics; bent on sowing discord and hatred, says minister's press secretary
By Tee Zhuo, The Straits Times, 23 Nov 2019
A post by a Facebook page spoofing a local university group has misleadingly quoted Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, his press secretary said yesterday.
Mr Goh Chour Thong, press secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs, also said that those behind the NUSSU-NUS Students United page have no integrity and are "bent on sowing discord and hatred".
The page, in a July 5 pinned post, says it is one of several pages parodying the National University of Singapore Students' Union, or NUSSU.
The union's real Facebook page is called NUS Students' Union.
In its post on Nov 17, the page quoted Mr Shanmugam as having said in Parliament on Oct 7: "If we do not separate religion from politics, then whose religion comes into politics?"
Mr Goh said the post misused this quote to falsely assert that if People's Action Party member Rachel Ong wants to run for elections, she should "resign ALL executive positions with ROHEI, an organisation with religious leanings".
Mr Goh said this directly contradicts what the minister had said in Parliament.
The minister had said that Members of Parliament and even ministers can hold positions in religious organisations.
He said that Mr Shanmugam had said that there have been ministers and MPs who were lay preachers or who held senior positions in a religious organisation, as was within their rights.
"The minister did not say that a political candidate running for elections, or an MP, must resign from all executive positions in organisations with religious leanings," said Mr Goh. "In fact, he said the very opposite, that they can continue to hold such posts, and as he said, these things must be dealt with wisdom and common sense."
Mr Goh noted the quote on separation of religion and politics relates to a different point the minister had made, on the fact that religious beliefs should not and cannot be the basis for public policymaking.
He also said the post had taken a quote of the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew out of context to mislead people.
At the 1987 National Day Rally, Mr Lee had said: "Churchmen, lay preachers, priests, monks, Muslim theologians, all those who claim divine sanctions of holy insights, take off your clerical robes before you take on anything economic or political. Take it off."
The post misuses Mr Lee's quote to falsely assert that he had meant that religious leaders have no political rights, said Mr Goh. "Mr Lee was actually saying that religious leaders who wanted to make political statements should not do so in their capacity as religious leaders," he said. "Instead, they should enter the political arena as politicians, and give their views."
Mr Goh said that while Singapore is a secular state, it is not anti-religion or disallows people of faith to take part in politics.
He also noted that the Facebook page is not the official page of the National University of Singapore's students' union, and the name "appears to have been disingenuously chosen" and could mislead readers.
Those who launch attacks from behind the anonymity of the Internet should be more ethical, transparent and not mislead and peddle in falsehoods, he said.
"Be transparent also about your political leanings, so that readers can judge for themselves what weight to place on your view."
"The name, as well as its deliberately misleading posts, shows the site is run by people with no integrity, bent on sowing discord and hatred," added Mr Goh.
* States Times Review editor refuses to obey correction order under fake news law
32-year-old, who says he is no longer a Singaporean, is second person to get order under POFMA over claims on Facebook
By Tham Yuen-C, Senior Political Correspondent and Prisca Ang, The Straits Times, 29 Nov 2019
The second person to receive a correction order under Singapore's fake news law has refused to put up a correction note alongside the false statements he made on Facebook, saying he is no longer a Singaporean.
Mr Alex Tan Zhi Xiang, 32, who runs the States Times Review (STR) Facebook page, said in a post yesterday: "States Times Review and it's (sic) editor, who is now a citizen of Australia, will not comply with any order from a foreign government like North Korea or Singapore."
He was issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) yesterday, the second time the law has been invoked since it took effect on Oct 2.
The first time was on Monday, when Progress Singapore Party member Brad Bowyer was directed to put up a correction over his Facebook post on Temasek and GIC as well as other government-linked companies.
In Mr Tan's case, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said he had made "false and baseless" claims in a Nov 23 post on the STR Facebook page.
Among his claims was that one person had been arrested by the police, and another is being investigated, for revealing the religious affiliation of a People's Action Party member in a Nov 17 post on the "NUSSU - NUS Students United" (NSU) Facebook page, which has since been taken down by Facebook.
Refuting this, the MHA said no one had been arrested or charged over the NSU post.
NSU, which spoofs the National University of Singapore Students' Union, commonly known as Nussu, had questioned the suitability of PAP member Rachel Ong as an election candidate, citing her religious affiliation.
In doing so, it misquoted Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam and gave a wrong impression of what he said about religion and politics in Parliament.
Subsequently, on Saturday, the NSU page was taken down by Facebook for violating authenticity policies.
In an update to his post yesterday, Mr Tan said: "The Singapore government claimed that no arrest was made. This runs in contrary to the tip-off we received."
Besides referring to the NSU episode in his post, Mr Tan had also made the accusation that Singapore's elections are rigged.
The MHA, describing these allegations as "scurrilous" and "absurd", said: "Singapore's electoral system enjoys high public trust. Elections are held regularly and contested. The electoral system and its procedures are clearly spelt out in law, and apply to all political participants, regardless of affiliation."
The MHA added that during elections, there are equal opportunities for all political participants to observe and monitor the election process.
It said Mr Tan is a Singaporean who is not in Singapore and is the editor of websites such as "Temasek Review News" and "Singapore Herald", which have breached the Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA) Internet Code of Practice on the grounds of public interest.
The ministry also said these sites have been blocked previously and "have perpetuated outright fabrications, such as misrepresenting Singapore's position in foreign relations with other countries and casting aspersions on the integrity of public institutions".
The Straits Times has contacted the Australian High Commission here over Mr Tan's citizenship.
POFMA is not limited to only Singaporeans who post falsehoods.
Legal experts interviewed by The Straits Times said that what matters is whether the statement is "made available to one or more end users in Singapore on or through the Internet".
Singapore Management University assistant professor of law Benjamin Joshua Ong said that according to Section 15(1) of POFMA, failure to comply with a correction direction without a reasonable excuse is an offence, regardless of the person's nationality or whether he is in or outside Singapore.
But he added that in general, Singapore is not able to enforce its criminal law overseas. This means that as long as Mr Tan remains overseas, he is likely to escape prosecution for the offence of not complying with the direction.
But Mr Ong noted that POFMA also provides other remedies for the Government to deal with the STR post.
These include issuing a targeted correction direction or disabling direction to Facebook, which would require the social media company to put up a correction statement on the post or block the post from being accessed.
The IMDA can also order Internet service providers to disable access to the STR website.
Related
MHA Statement on the Issuance of Correction Direction Under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Against the “States Times Review” -28 Nov 2019
By Tee Zhuo, The Straits Times, 23 Nov 2019
A post by a Facebook page spoofing a local university group has misleadingly quoted Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam, his press secretary said yesterday.
Mr Goh Chour Thong, press secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs, also said that those behind the NUSSU-NUS Students United page have no integrity and are "bent on sowing discord and hatred".
The page, in a July 5 pinned post, says it is one of several pages parodying the National University of Singapore Students' Union, or NUSSU.
The union's real Facebook page is called NUS Students' Union.
In its post on Nov 17, the page quoted Mr Shanmugam as having said in Parliament on Oct 7: "If we do not separate religion from politics, then whose religion comes into politics?"
Mr Goh said the post misused this quote to falsely assert that if People's Action Party member Rachel Ong wants to run for elections, she should "resign ALL executive positions with ROHEI, an organisation with religious leanings".
Mr Goh said this directly contradicts what the minister had said in Parliament.
The minister had said that Members of Parliament and even ministers can hold positions in religious organisations.
He said that Mr Shanmugam had said that there have been ministers and MPs who were lay preachers or who held senior positions in a religious organisation, as was within their rights.
"The minister did not say that a political candidate running for elections, or an MP, must resign from all executive positions in organisations with religious leanings," said Mr Goh. "In fact, he said the very opposite, that they can continue to hold such posts, and as he said, these things must be dealt with wisdom and common sense."
Mr Goh noted the quote on separation of religion and politics relates to a different point the minister had made, on the fact that religious beliefs should not and cannot be the basis for public policymaking.
He also said the post had taken a quote of the late founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew out of context to mislead people.
At the 1987 National Day Rally, Mr Lee had said: "Churchmen, lay preachers, priests, monks, Muslim theologians, all those who claim divine sanctions of holy insights, take off your clerical robes before you take on anything economic or political. Take it off."
The post misuses Mr Lee's quote to falsely assert that he had meant that religious leaders have no political rights, said Mr Goh. "Mr Lee was actually saying that religious leaders who wanted to make political statements should not do so in their capacity as religious leaders," he said. "Instead, they should enter the political arena as politicians, and give their views."
Mr Goh said that while Singapore is a secular state, it is not anti-religion or disallows people of faith to take part in politics.
He also noted that the Facebook page is not the official page of the National University of Singapore's students' union, and the name "appears to have been disingenuously chosen" and could mislead readers.
Those who launch attacks from behind the anonymity of the Internet should be more ethical, transparent and not mislead and peddle in falsehoods, he said.
"Be transparent also about your political leanings, so that readers can judge for themselves what weight to place on your view."
"The name, as well as its deliberately misleading posts, shows the site is run by people with no integrity, bent on sowing discord and hatred," added Mr Goh.
### Man fired by HDB over spoof NUSSU Facebook page now assisting police with investigations
By Tee Zhuo, The Straits Times, 29 May 2020
A man fired by the Housing Board for his involvement in a spoof Facebook page is assisting the police with investigations.
The page, NUSSU - NUS Students United, was taken down by Facebook last November, a day after it was called out for misusing a quote from Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam. A police report was lodged on Nov 26 last year.
The police confirmed yesterday that a 30-year-old man was assisting with investigations for suspected involvement in a case of forgery involving a fake Facebook account.
The police added preliminary investigations revealed that the fake account appears to have been used to impersonate someone else as the administrator of the fake page.
This was first reported on Chinese-language news site 8world.com
In response to queries yesterday, HDB said that a staff member was subjected to disciplinary proceedings "and had his service terminated after due process".
"HDB takes a strong view on matters involving the conduct of our staff," it added.
The Straits Times understands that the now former staff member in question is one Mr Shermon Ong.
Last November, Mr Shanmugam's press secretary, Mr Goh Chour Thong, said a post on the NUSSU - NUS Students United page had misleadingly quoted the minister on what he said about religion and politics in Parliament.
The post also said that People's Action Party member Rachel Ong should "resign ALL executive positions with Rohei, an organisation with religious leanings" if she wants to run for election.
Mr Goh said that this was a false assertion and a misuse of Mr Shanmugam's words and the post directly contradicts what the minister had said.
"The name as well as its deliberately misleading posts show the site is run by people with no integrity, bent on sowing discord and hatred," added Mr Goh.
Facebook later removed the page for "violating authenticity policies".
A spokesman for the social media platform said that the page was not removed due to its content.
By Tee Zhuo, The Straits Times, 29 May 2020
A man fired by the Housing Board for his involvement in a spoof Facebook page is assisting the police with investigations.
The page, NUSSU - NUS Students United, was taken down by Facebook last November, a day after it was called out for misusing a quote from Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam. A police report was lodged on Nov 26 last year.
The police confirmed yesterday that a 30-year-old man was assisting with investigations for suspected involvement in a case of forgery involving a fake Facebook account.
The police added preliminary investigations revealed that the fake account appears to have been used to impersonate someone else as the administrator of the fake page.
This was first reported on Chinese-language news site 8world.com
In response to queries yesterday, HDB said that a staff member was subjected to disciplinary proceedings "and had his service terminated after due process".
"HDB takes a strong view on matters involving the conduct of our staff," it added.
The Straits Times understands that the now former staff member in question is one Mr Shermon Ong.
Last November, Mr Shanmugam's press secretary, Mr Goh Chour Thong, said a post on the NUSSU - NUS Students United page had misleadingly quoted the minister on what he said about religion and politics in Parliament.
The post also said that People's Action Party member Rachel Ong should "resign ALL executive positions with Rohei, an organisation with religious leanings" if she wants to run for election.
Mr Goh said that this was a false assertion and a misuse of Mr Shanmugam's words and the post directly contradicts what the minister had said.
"The name as well as its deliberately misleading posts show the site is run by people with no integrity, bent on sowing discord and hatred," added Mr Goh.
Facebook later removed the page for "violating authenticity policies".
A spokesman for the social media platform said that the page was not removed due to its content.
* States Times Review editor refuses to obey correction order under fake news law
32-year-old, who says he is no longer a Singaporean, is second person to get order under POFMA over claims on Facebook
By Tham Yuen-C, Senior Political Correspondent and Prisca Ang, The Straits Times, 29 Nov 2019
Mr Alex Tan Zhi Xiang, 32, who runs the States Times Review (STR) Facebook page, said in a post yesterday: "States Times Review and it's (sic) editor, who is now a citizen of Australia, will not comply with any order from a foreign government like North Korea or Singapore."
He was issued a correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) yesterday, the second time the law has been invoked since it took effect on Oct 2.
The first time was on Monday, when Progress Singapore Party member Brad Bowyer was directed to put up a correction over his Facebook post on Temasek and GIC as well as other government-linked companies.
In Mr Tan's case, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said he had made "false and baseless" claims in a Nov 23 post on the STR Facebook page.
Among his claims was that one person had been arrested by the police, and another is being investigated, for revealing the religious affiliation of a People's Action Party member in a Nov 17 post on the "NUSSU - NUS Students United" (NSU) Facebook page, which has since been taken down by Facebook.
Refuting this, the MHA said no one had been arrested or charged over the NSU post.
NSU, which spoofs the National University of Singapore Students' Union, commonly known as Nussu, had questioned the suitability of PAP member Rachel Ong as an election candidate, citing her religious affiliation.
In doing so, it misquoted Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam and gave a wrong impression of what he said about religion and politics in Parliament.
Subsequently, on Saturday, the NSU page was taken down by Facebook for violating authenticity policies.
In an update to his post yesterday, Mr Tan said: "The Singapore government claimed that no arrest was made. This runs in contrary to the tip-off we received."
Besides referring to the NSU episode in his post, Mr Tan had also made the accusation that Singapore's elections are rigged.
The MHA, describing these allegations as "scurrilous" and "absurd", said: "Singapore's electoral system enjoys high public trust. Elections are held regularly and contested. The electoral system and its procedures are clearly spelt out in law, and apply to all political participants, regardless of affiliation."
The MHA added that during elections, there are equal opportunities for all political participants to observe and monitor the election process.
It said Mr Tan is a Singaporean who is not in Singapore and is the editor of websites such as "Temasek Review News" and "Singapore Herald", which have breached the Infocomm Media Development Authority's (IMDA) Internet Code of Practice on the grounds of public interest.
The ministry also said these sites have been blocked previously and "have perpetuated outright fabrications, such as misrepresenting Singapore's position in foreign relations with other countries and casting aspersions on the integrity of public institutions".
The Straits Times has contacted the Australian High Commission here over Mr Tan's citizenship.
POFMA is not limited to only Singaporeans who post falsehoods.
Legal experts interviewed by The Straits Times said that what matters is whether the statement is "made available to one or more end users in Singapore on or through the Internet".
Singapore Management University assistant professor of law Benjamin Joshua Ong said that according to Section 15(1) of POFMA, failure to comply with a correction direction without a reasonable excuse is an offence, regardless of the person's nationality or whether he is in or outside Singapore.
But he added that in general, Singapore is not able to enforce its criminal law overseas. This means that as long as Mr Tan remains overseas, he is likely to escape prosecution for the offence of not complying with the direction.
But Mr Ong noted that POFMA also provides other remedies for the Government to deal with the STR post.
These include issuing a targeted correction direction or disabling direction to Facebook, which would require the social media company to put up a correction statement on the post or block the post from being accessed.
The IMDA can also order Internet service providers to disable access to the STR website.
** Facebook issues fake news correction notice on user's post
This is first time social network has done so here; POFMA Office says other tech firms also agree to comply with law
By Tan Tam Mei, The Straits Times, 29 Nov 2019
Facebook has complied with a directive under Singapore's new fake news law to publish a correction notice on a post which the Government says contains false information.
Yesterday, Facebook put up a notice at the bottom of a post in the States Times Review page.
It read: "Facebook is legally required to tell you that the Singapore Government says this post has false information."
A spokesman for the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office told The Sunday Times yesterday that Facebook and other tech companies have confirmed that they would comply with requirements under the law.
"Where there are technical difficulties, they will discuss with the POFMA Office," he added.
The Sunday Times understands that this is the first correction notice that Facebook has published on its platform in Singapore.
The States Times Review website, which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) says spreads "outright fabrications", is blocked in Singapore.
On Nov 23, the website posted on its Facebook page remarks concerning an earlier post on the Nussu-NUS Students United page, which parodies the National University of Singapore Students' Union, or Nussu.
The spoof page questioned the suitability of PAP member Rachel Ong as an election candidate, citing her religious affiliation.
In doing so, it misquoted Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam and gave a wrong impression of what he said in Parliament about religion and politics.
Facebook later took down this page for violating authenticity policies.
The States Times Review's Facebook post claimed that one person involved in the matter was arrested and another was being investigated by the police.
The MHA said that the claims were false and baseless.
No one has been arrested or charged in relation to the spoof student group's post, the ministry said.
Under POFMA, the States Times Review was required to carry a correction notice on its Facebook post stating that its article contains falsehoods.
Mr Alex Tan Zhi Xiang, 32, the editor of States Times Review who is based in Australia, had refused to comply with the correction direction by the POFMA Office.
Mr Shanmugam instructed the POFMA Office last Friday to issue a targeted correction direction to Facebook.
The American tech company complied yesterday.
In a statement, a Facebook spokesman said that the company applied a label to the post as required by Singapore law.
"As it is early days of the law coming into effect, we hope the Singapore Government's assurances that it will not impact free expression will lead to a measured and transparent approach to implementation," said Facebook.
The fake news law came into effect on Oct 2, and had been passed in May after a two-day debate.
Mr Tan's case was the second time the law was invoked, following the case involving Progress Singapore Party member Brad Bowyer.
Last Monday, Mr Bowyer was directed by the POFMA Office to put up a correction over his Facebook post on Temasek, GIC and other government-linked companies.
Hours later, Mr Bower put up a separate post with comments and clarifications about his original post.
In response to this, the POFMA Office said that the purpose of the correction notice is to alert readers to falsehoods, set out facts and allow them to draw their own conclusions.
"Singaporeans are free to read Mr Bowyer's original post, the corrections that have been issued, and subsequent comments by Mr Bowyer, before deciding for themselves what is the truth," the office added.
This is first time social network has done so here; POFMA Office says other tech firms also agree to comply with law
By Tan Tam Mei, The Straits Times, 29 Nov 2019
Yesterday, Facebook put up a notice at the bottom of a post in the States Times Review page.
It read: "Facebook is legally required to tell you that the Singapore Government says this post has false information."
A spokesman for the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office told The Sunday Times yesterday that Facebook and other tech companies have confirmed that they would comply with requirements under the law.
"Where there are technical difficulties, they will discuss with the POFMA Office," he added.
The Sunday Times understands that this is the first correction notice that Facebook has published on its platform in Singapore.
The States Times Review website, which the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) says spreads "outright fabrications", is blocked in Singapore.
On Nov 23, the website posted on its Facebook page remarks concerning an earlier post on the Nussu-NUS Students United page, which parodies the National University of Singapore Students' Union, or Nussu.
The spoof page questioned the suitability of PAP member Rachel Ong as an election candidate, citing her religious affiliation.
In doing so, it misquoted Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam and gave a wrong impression of what he said in Parliament about religion and politics.
Facebook later took down this page for violating authenticity policies.
The States Times Review's Facebook post claimed that one person involved in the matter was arrested and another was being investigated by the police.
The MHA said that the claims were false and baseless.
No one has been arrested or charged in relation to the spoof student group's post, the ministry said.
Under POFMA, the States Times Review was required to carry a correction notice on its Facebook post stating that its article contains falsehoods.
Mr Alex Tan Zhi Xiang, 32, the editor of States Times Review who is based in Australia, had refused to comply with the correction direction by the POFMA Office.
Mr Shanmugam instructed the POFMA Office last Friday to issue a targeted correction direction to Facebook.
The American tech company complied yesterday.
In a statement, a Facebook spokesman said that the company applied a label to the post as required by Singapore law.
"As it is early days of the law coming into effect, we hope the Singapore Government's assurances that it will not impact free expression will lead to a measured and transparent approach to implementation," said Facebook.
The fake news law came into effect on Oct 2, and had been passed in May after a two-day debate.
Mr Tan's case was the second time the law was invoked, following the case involving Progress Singapore Party member Brad Bowyer.
Last Monday, Mr Bowyer was directed by the POFMA Office to put up a correction over his Facebook post on Temasek, GIC and other government-linked companies.
Hours later, Mr Bower put up a separate post with comments and clarifications about his original post.
In response to this, the POFMA Office said that the purpose of the correction notice is to alert readers to falsehoods, set out facts and allow them to draw their own conclusions.
"Singaporeans are free to read Mr Bowyer's original post, the corrections that have been issued, and subsequent comments by Mr Bowyer, before deciding for themselves what is the truth," the office added.
MHA Statement on the Issuance of Correction Direction Under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Against the “States Times Review” -28 Nov 2019
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