List of websites blocked in Singapore

Last updated

This is a list of websites that are blocked in Singapore. These websites are mainly unlicensed gambling, pimping (known as vice related activities), copyright infringement/piracy, and for spreading falsehoods. Some websites may be blocked because they are suspected scam websites. [1] However, websites that are blocked in Singapore are easily circumvented by a DNS change without the need to use a VPN. [2]

Contents

As of 2019, there were 202 vice-related websites blocked by Singaporean authorities. [3]

Table of blocked websites

Site nameDomain or URLType of siteReasonApplicable lawImplementation dateRef
123Movies123movies.asIllegal streaming sitecopyright infringementCopyright ActSeptember 2022 [4]
Ashley Madison ashleymadison.com online dating service "promotes and facilitates extramarital affairs"November 2013 [5]
Asia Sentinel asiasentinel.comAmerica-based blog about Asia"not complying with POFMA correction direction" POFMA 2 June 2023 [6]
Lawyers for Liberty lawyersforliberty.orghuman rights NGO"non-compliance" with a correction direction issued against a statement on its website POFMA 23 January 2020 [7]
The Pirate Bay thepiratebay.orgBitTorrent index of digital contentcopyright infringing/piracyCopyright ActMay 2018 [8]
Playboy playboy.comAmerican men's lifestyle and entertainment magazinenudity1996 [9]
Pornhub pornhub.com pornography video sharing siteBlocked due to pornographyMay 2016 [10]
Redtube redtube.com pornography video sharing site"symbolic statement" of the country's societal valuesMay 2018 [11]
SolarmovieSolarmovie.phBitTorrent index of digital contentcopyright infringing/piracyCopyright ActFebruary 2016 [8] [12]
SportsBaysportsbay.esIllegal streaming sitecopyright infringementCopyright ActSeptember 2022 [4]
States Times Review Socio-political websitedefamation of Singapore government POFMA November 2018 [13] [14]
YouPorn youporn.com pornography video sharing site"symbolic statement" of the country's societal valuesMay 2018 [11]
KickassTorrents BitTorrent index of digital contentcopyright infringing/piracyCopyright ActMay 2018 [8]
WatchSerieswatchseries.ninjaIllegal streaming sitecopyright infringementCopyright ActSeptember 2022 [4]
Zao Bao Dailyzaobaodaily.cominauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]
Singapore Info Mapsingaporeinfomap.cominauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]
Singapore EraSingaporeera.cominauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]
Singapore Dao TimesSingdaotimes.cominauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]
Today in SingaporeTodayinsg.cominauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]
Lion City LifeLioncitylife.cominauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]
Singapura NowSingapuranow.cominauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]
Voice of Asia SingaporeVoasg.cominauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]
Singdao PRSingdaopr.cominauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]
Alamak.ioAlamak.ioinauthentic news website"potential hostile information threat"Broadcasting ActOctober 2024 [15] [16]

Media coverage

On 1 March 2022, the Asia Video Industry Association's Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) announced that it had obtained a court order from the Singapore High Court for the blocking of 30 illegal streaming sites and nearly 150 domain names associated with those sites. [17]

On 28 September 2022, CAP stated that it had obtained a further court order for the blocking of a total of 245 domain names which provided access to 30 illegal streaming sites. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CNA (TV network)</span> Singapore English language news channel

CNA is a Singaporean multinational news channel owned by Mediacorp, the country's state-owned media conglomerate. CNA broadcasts free-to-air domestically in Singapore, and internationally as a pay television channel to 29 territories across the Asia-Pacific. It also streams on Mediacorp's domestic meWatch platform, and on free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) platforms and YouTube internationally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBTQ rights in Singapore</span>

The rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Singapore have evolved over the decades. Same-sex sexual activity is legal for both males and females; for men it was officially legalised in 2022 after being de facto decriminalised since 2007, and for women it was always legal. Prior to 2022, same-sex sexual activity between males was de jure illegal under the British colonial-era Section 377A of the Penal Code. The law had been de facto unenforced for decades. In February 2022, the Court of Appeal in the Supreme Court reaffirmed that 377A cannot be used to prosecute men for having sex with other men, and that it is "unenforceable in its entirety". Transgender rights in the country are also progressive in the region, which included Singapore being the first country in Asia to legalise sex reassignment surgery in 1973.

Censorship in Singapore mainly targets political, racial, religious issues and homosexual content as defined by out-of-bounds markers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">YouPorn</span> Free pornographic video sharing website

YouPorn is a free pornographic video-sharing website owned by Aylo that launched in August 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Odex's actions against file-sharing</span> Legal actions against illegal downloading activities

Odex's actions against file sharing were Japan copyright owners' pre-action discovery to Singapore Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to request for subscribers details in Singapore who were traced to illegal download activities of their licensed anime series. Odex is a Singapore-based company that licenses and releases anime for local and regional Southeast Asian consumption. As Japanese copyright owners are located in Japan, Odex, being holder of the Japanese anime license in Singapore, were appointed to submit legal documents and court proceedings on their behalf in Singapore.

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TorrentFreak</span> Blog on file sharing, copyright infringement, and digital rights

TorrentFreak (TF) is a blog dedicated to reporting the latest news and trends on the BitTorrent protocol and file sharing, as well as on copyright infringement and digital rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RedTube</span> Pornographic video sharing site

RedTube is a pornographic video-sharing site, which in September 2009 held an Alexa ranking within the world's top 100 sites. It is one of several pornographic websites owned by Aylo. In June 2010 it had fallen out of the top 100, but it made a return in mid-2012. As of mid September 2020 its Alexa ranking was 520. Its popularity has been ascribed to its non-sexual name, which is a reference to the non-pornographic video sharing website YouTube. The website is based in Houston, Texas, and has servers in San Francisco, New Orleans and Montreal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lawrence Wong</span> Prime Minister of Singapore since 2024

Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai is a Singaporean politician, economist and former civil servant who has been serving as the fourth prime minister of Singapore since 2024 and the minister for finance since 2021. A member of the governing People's Action Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Limbang division of Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC since 2015, and previously the Boon Lay division of West Coast GRC between 2011 and 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pritam Singh (Singaporean politician)</span> Leader of the Opposition in Singapore since 2020

Pritam Singh is a Singaporean politician, author, and lawyer who has been the Secretary-General of the Workers' Party since 2018, and Leader of the Opposition since 2020. A member of the Workers' Party (WP), Singh has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Eunos division of Aljunied GRC since 2011.

Pornography in Asia includes pornography created in Asia, watched in Asia, or consumed or displayed in other parts of the world as one or more of the genres of Asian pornography.

The Police Intellectual Property Crime Unit (PIPCU) is a unit of the City of London Police, the national lead force for fraud. It was established in 2013 with the responsibility to investigate and deter serious and organised intellectual property crime in the United Kingdom.

File sharing in Singapore relates to the distribution of digital media in that country. In January 2019, there were about 12,971,500 households connected with a broadband connection to the Internet in Singapore. There are also many public Internet access points such as public libraries and Internet cafes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Putlocker</span> Online illegal movie streaming site network

Putlocker is a file hosting index website used for streaming entertainment media, particularly films and television series, for free. The initial website originated in the United Kingdom in 2011, and grew to receive millions of daily visitors after the shutdown of Megaupload. In May 2016, the website was blocked in the UK by a High Court order, and at its peak prior to a temporary closure in late 2016, Alexa Internet listed Putlocker as ranking among the top 250 most-visited websites worldwide. Putlocker has been reported by the Motion Picture Association (MPA) as a major piracy threat.

The following lists events that happened during 2019 in the Republic of Singapore.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore</span>

The COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The first case in Singapore was confirmed on 23 January 2020. Early cases were primarily imported until local transmission began to develop in February and March. In late March and April, COVID-19 clusters were detected at multiple migrant worker dormitories, which soon contributed to an overwhelming proportion of new cases in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KissAnime</span> Former anime-focused piracy file streaming site

KissAnime was an anime-focused file streaming website that hosted links and embedded videos, allowing users to stream or download movies and TV shows illegally for free. It was a sister site to a related manga viewing website, KissManga. KissAnime was described as "one of the world’s biggest streaming anime websites". TorrentFreak reported that the sites had audiences of millions and that, for a time, KissAnime was "the most visited pirate site in the world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aisyah Aziz</span> Singaporean singer

Nur Aisyah Binte Aziz better known by her stage name Aisyah Aziz is a Singaporean singer-songwriter and actress.

New Naratif is a Malaysian–based online journalism platform and self-described independent media outlet that publishes content on Southeast Asian current affairs.

References

  1. cue (5 March 2023). "Fake ST, Zaobao and CNA news sites that promote gambling detected and blocked | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
  2. "53 piracy websites just got blocked in Singapore, but it won't faze the internet-savvy - Coconuts". coconuts.co. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  3. "202 vice websites blocked by police and IMDA so far: Shanmugam". sg.news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "More than 240 domains associated with illegal streaming sites blocked in Singapore, says Asia Pacific video industry trade association". CNA. 28 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  5. "MDA blocks access to Ashley Madison website". TODAYonline. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  6. "Singapore to block Asia Sentinel website for not complying with POFMA correction direction". CNA. Archived from the original on 3 August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  7. "Government orders that Lawyers for Liberty's website be blocked in Singapore". CNA. Archived from the original on 25 August 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  8. 1 2 3 hermes (21 May 2018). "53 piracy websites blocked in battle to curb copyright breach". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 22 May 2018. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  9. Loo, Gregory (14 October 2015). "Is Playboy set for Singapore after dropping nude pictures? MDA says..." The New Paper. Archived from the original on 28 March 2023. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  10. "Singaporeans last almost 10 minutes watching porn: Study | Coconuts Singapore". Coconuts. 19 December 2014. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Singapore bans two porn websites in symbolic move". Reuters. 23 May 2008. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  12. hermesauto (16 February 2016). "Solarmovie.ph is first piracy website to be blocked under amended Copyright Act". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 5 November 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  13. "States Times Review to close down after getting blocked in S'pore by authorities". mothership.sg. Archived from the original on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  14. "States Times Review website live again after being blocked by Singapore government". 12 November 2018. Archived from the original on 21 June 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2021.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Singapore blocks 10 websites set up by foreign actors over potential hostile information threat". CNA. Retrieved 22 October 2024.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "ANNEX B – LIST OF WEBSITES" (PDF).
  17. "SINGAPORE COURT ORDERS LARGEST BLOCK OF ILLEGAL STREAMING SITES IN SINGAPORE : Asia Video Industry Association". avia.org. Retrieved 7 October 2024.

See also