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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1 October 2016 |
| Preceding agencies |
|
| Jurisdiction | Government of Singapore |
| Headquarters | 10 Pasir Panjang Road, #03-01, Mapletree Business City, Singapore 117438 |
| Annual budget | S$34 million (2011) [ better source needed ] |
| Agency executives |
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| Parent agency | Ministry of Communications and Information |
| Website | www |
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is a statutory board under the Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).
The Telecommunication Authority of Singapore (TAS) was the statutory board that acted as the national regulator and promoter of the telecommunication and postal industries in Singapore. Prior to 1992, the TAS also managed postal and telecommunications services until Singtel and Singapore Post were split off from the board as corporatised entities. [2]
In 1999, the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) was formed in 1999 from the merger of the TAS and National Computer Board (NCB).
Following the passing of the Info-communications Media Development Authority Bill in Parliament on 16 August 2016, IMDA was launched on 30 September that year with the restructuring and merger of the Infocomm Development Authority () and the Media Development Authority (MDA). [3] [4]
IMDA provides numerous programmes, policies and grants that cater to industries and communities. IMDA also protects consumers' privacy through the Personal Data Protection Commission (PDPC). [5] [6]
There are classification systems for the following types of media: films, TV programs, video games, and arts entertainment (e.g., theatrical productions).
Films and TV programs both use the same rating system. Free-to-air TV content must also adhere to additional restrictions, as outlined in Section 5 of the Content Code. [7]
| Rating | Badge | Alternate badge | Notes [8] |
|---|---|---|---|
| General (G) |  |  | Suitable for persons of all ages. |
| Parental Guidance(PG) |  |  | Suitable for persons of all ages, but parental guidance is recommended for younger viewers. This rating is merely an advisory, and is not legally enforced - however, film distributors and TV providers must prominently display this rating in marketing and/or at the start of the program. |
| Parental Guidance for Children Under 13 (PG13) |  |  | Parental guidance is advised for those under the age of 13 years old. This is also an advisory rating, similar to PG. Content that carries this rating or higher must also provide consumer advice as to why it received this rating, e.g 'Violence', 'Language', or 'Horror'. Free-to-air (FTA) TV networks may only show content at this rating or lower, and can only air PG13 content between 10PM and 6AM. [9] Advertisements for films with this rating cannot be shown where a child may inadvertently be exposed to them (e.g on video walls). [8] |
| No Children Under 16 (NC16) |  |  | Restricted to persons aged 16 or above. This is a legally enforced rating - patrons who watch a film with this rating or higher must present photo identification. [8] [10] Pay TV and video-on-demand (VOD) operators must adhere to several restrictions in order to ensure that a child is not inadvertently exposed to rated content. They are required to offer a 'parental lock' feature, which restricts NC16 and M18 content with a PIN code. Pay TV operators must also ensure that promotional material for rated content is "edited and scheduled appropriately." [9] |
| Mature 18 (M18) |  |  | Restricted to persons aged 18 or above. Similar to NC16, photo identification is required when watching a rated film in a cinema. Pay TV operators are only allowed to air content with this rating or lower. In addition, pay TV operators can air M18-classified content only from the watershed that PG13 classified content is allowed to be aired on free-to-air TV. |
| Restricted 21 (R21) |  |  | Restricted to persons aged 21 or above. This is the highest rating in the current classification system - like NC16 and M18, this is also legally enforced. Pay TV operators are not allowed to air content with this rating, and VOD operators must offer a separate PIN lock for R21 content as a default. Advertisements for R21-rated content can only appear in venues licensed for R21 films, and/or at the start of another R21-rated movie. |
| Refused Classification | Denotes content that was not approved for release in Singapore under any classification. This is not an official rating under the current system, but was formerly used by the MDA to denote films that were refused classification, and it is now used as semi-official descriptor today. Many films that the IMDA refused to classify were restricted because of concerns that they might "undermine the public order". For example, the film To Singapore, With Love, which documented former political dissidents in Singapore, was refused classification, as the MDA believed it was one-sided and "undermined national security". [11] |
Following a controversy in November 2007, in which the government banned the video game Mass Effect, [12] and then unbanned it a day later, [13] over concerns that the game featured homosexuality, the IMDA announced that it would create a new classification system for games in early 2008. [14] Therefore, starting from April 2008, video games that were sold in Singapore were required to undergo classification.
As of 2022, there are 2 ratings in the classification system. A "General" decision also exists, where those games do not require Singapore-specific rating labels. Games only need to be classified if they are physically sold in Singapore - however, some digital storefronts like Steam may display the IMDA rating to Singaporean users if one is present.
| Rating | Full Badge | Icon | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advisory 16(ADV16) |  |  | Suitable for individuals who are at least 16 years old. Unlike the NC16 rating, this is an advisory rating, and is not legally enforced. |
| Mature 18(M18) | No official badge after July 2021 |  | Restricted to individuals who are at least 18 years old. This is a legally enforced restriction, and customers who attempt to purchase these games must present photo identification. Prior to July 2021, the distributor needed to purchase official labels from IMDA - today, distributors can simply self-print the labels. |
The telecommunication infrastructure of Singapore spans the entire city-state. Its development level is high, with close accessibility to the infrastructure from nearly all inhabited parts of the island and for all of the population, with exceptions. Today, the country is considered an international telecommunications hub, an achievement that was driven by Singapore's view that high-quality telecommunications is one of the critical factors that support its economic growth.
James Seng Ching Hong is one of the Internet pioneers in Singapore and is recognized as an international expert in the Internet arena. He gave regular speeches at various forums on several Internet issues such as IDN, VoIP, IPv6, spam, OSS and Internet governance issues. Seng also participates actively in several standard organizations and also served on the board/committee of several Internet organizations.
The statutory boards of the Government of Singapore are autonomous organisations that have been tasked to perform an operational function by legal statutes passed as Acts in the Parliament of Singapore. The statutes define the purpose, rights and powers of each authority. These organisations would usually subsequently report to one specific ministry. This list includes both current and new statutory boards formed.
The following lists events that happened during 2004 in Singapore.
Singapore Post Limited, commonly abbreviated as SingPost, is an associate company of Singtel and Singapore's designated Public Postal Licensee which provides domestic and international postal services.
Censorship in Singapore mainly targets political, racial, religious issues and homosexual content as defined by out-of-bounds markers.
The Ministry of Communications and Information is a ministry of the Government of Singapore responsible for overseeing the development of the infocomm technology, cyber security, media sectors, as well as the government's information and public communication policies. It is also responsible for maintaining the national library, national archives and public libraries.
A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of video games based on suitability for target audiences. Most of these systems are associated with and/or sponsored by a government, and are sometimes part of the local motion picture rating system. The utility of such ratings has been called into question by studies that publish findings such as 90% of teenagers claim that their parents "never" check the ratings before allowing them to rent or buy video games, and as such, calls have been made to "fix" the existing rating systems. Video game content rating systems can be used as the basis for laws that cover the sales of video games to minors, such as in Australia. Rating checking and approval is part of the game localization when they are being prepared for their distribution in other countries or locales. These rating systems have also been used to voluntarily restrict sales of certain video games by stores, such as the German retailer Galeria Kaufhof's removal of all video games rated 18+ by the USK following the Winnenden school shooting.
The Media Development Authority was a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).
In Singapore, there are 11,512,900 broadband Internet subscribers. There are three major Internet service providers in Singapore, namely, Singtel, StarHub, and M1 and other growing providers like MyRepublic and ViewQwest. Over the years, the Singapore Government has been promoting the usage of broadband Internet access, as part of its Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) and Smart Nation initiative.
Internet censorship in Singapore is carried out by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). Internet services provided by the three major Internet service providers (ISPs) are subject to regulation by the MDA, which requires blocking of a symbolic number of websites containing "mass impact objectionable" material, including Playboy, YouPorn and Ashley Madison. The civil service, tertiary institutions and Institute of Technical Education has its own jurisdiction to block websites displaying pornography, information about drugs and online piracy.
Wireless@SG is a wireless broadband programme developed by the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore as part of its Next Generation National Infocomm Infrastructure initiative, being part of the nation's 10-year masterplan called Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015).
KooBits designs and builds digital products for children and educators. KooBits was founded in 2016 by current CEO Stanley, with Professor Sam Ge Shuzhi and Dr Chen Xiangdong. The trio saw an opportunity in the rapid growth of the ebook industry and decided to focus on creating software for interactive enhanced ebooks. Currently, KooBits is focused on education technology for primary mathematics learning.
The Australian Classification Board is an Australian government statutory body responsible for the classification and censorship of films, video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia. The ACB was established in 1970 and was once part of the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), which was dissolved in 2006. The Department of Communications and the Arts provided administrative support to the ACB from 2006 until 2020, when it was merged into the 'mega department' of the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications. Decisions made by the ACB may be reviewed by the Australian Classification Review Board. The ACB now operates under the Commonwealth Classification Act 1995. The ACB is made up of a director, a deputy director, and three other board members, appointed by the government for three- or four-year terms, and temporary board members. The ACB is located in Sydney.
Media regulation in the Republic of Singapore is carried out by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) and effected by various laws.
The Cyber Security Agency (CSA) is a government agency under the Prime Minister's Office, but is managed by the Ministry of Communications and Information of the Government of Singapore. It provides centralised oversight of national cyber security functions and works with sector leads to protect Singapore's Critical Information Infrastructure (CII), such as the energy and banking sectors. Formed on 1 April 2015, the agency also engages with various industries and stakeholders to heighten cyber security awareness as well as to ensure the development of Singapore's cyber security. It is headed by the Commissioner of Cybersecurity, David Koh.
The Government Technology Agency (GovTech) is a statutory board of the Government of Singapore, under the Prime Minister's Office. It was restructured from Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA) in 2016, and officially legislated in Parliament on 18 August that year.
Media classification in Singapore is currently administered by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). All forms of media, including films, TV programs, video games, and theatrical productions, must receive an age classification before widespread distribution.
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