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Censorship in Singapore mainly targets political, racial, religious issues and homosexual content as defined by out-of-bounds markers.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) approves publications, issues arts entertainment licences and enforces the Free-to-air (FTA) TV Programme Code, Subscription TV Programme Code, TV Advertising Code, Radio Programme Code and Radio Advertising Code through financial penalties. [1] The MDA's decisions may be appealed to the Broadcast, Publications and Arts Appeal Committee (BPAA) [2] and the Films Appeal Committee (FAC). [3] The Censorship Review Committee (CRC) meets every ten years to "review and update censorship objectives and principles to meet the long-term interests of our society". [4] The CRC was most recently reconvened in 2009 and made some 80 recommendations the following year, most of which were accepted. [5]
The government of Singapore argues that censorship of political, racial, religious and homosexuality issues to a certain extent is necessary to avoid upsetting the delicate balance of Singapore's multi-racial society.
The importing, making, distributing or exhibiting of films in Singapore is governed by the Films Act of 1981. [6] Films for commercial release are presented to the IMDA which classifies the films under six different ratings for different groups of audiences:
In April 2008, 4 documentaries were banned at the Singapore International Film Festival. Two of them titled Arabs and Terrorism and David the Tolhildan were "disallowed on the account of the sympathetic portrayal of organizations deemed terrorist organizations by many countries," according to the Board of Film Censors chairman. [7] A Jihad for Love , which concerned homosexuals living within Muslim communities, was banned because of the "sensitive nature of the subject." Lastly, the documentary Bakushi was blacklisted because its topic of bondage "normalizes unnatural fetishes and behaviour." [8]
In September 2014, Singaporean filmmaker Tan Pin Pin's documentary about Communist Party of Malaya (CPM) political exiles, To Singapore, With Love (2013), received an NAR rating, with the MDA claiming that it undermined national security as "the individuals in the film have given distorted and untruthful accounts of how they came to leave Singapore and remain outside Singapore," and that "a number of these self-professed 'exiles' were members of, or had provided support to, the proscribed CPM." [9] The controversial Section 33 of the Films Act bans of the making, distribution and exhibition of "party political films", at pain of a fine not exceeding $100,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years. The Act further defines a "party political film" as any film or video
Since March 2009, the Films Act has been amended to allow party political films as long as they were deemed factual and objective by a consultative committee. Some months later, this committee lifted the ban on Singapore Rebel.
In 1963, Singapore banned the hit song Puff, the Magic Dragon , fearing that it referenced marijuana. [10] Janet Jackson's albums Velvet Rope and All For You were also banned due to homosexual and sexually explicit themes that the BPAA found "not acceptable to our society". [10] The bans have since been lifted. Katy Perry's hit single, I Kissed a Girl, was banned from the airwaves as its lyrics that described homosexuality violated the Free-To-Air Radio Programme Code.
On 14 April 2008, the Info-communications Media Development Authority announced that an official video games classification system will be in effect on 28 April 2008. [11] No cuts are stipulated to Approved titles. Under the system, video games that contain stronger content such as graphic sex/nudity, strong coarse language, drug use, graphic violence/gore and mature themes will be given either an ADV16 rating label or use/share the M18 rating label used for film classification similar to those found on home video media in Singapore.
Examples: Mario Party 10, The Lego Movie Videogame and Angry Birds
Examples: Mass Effect 2, Assassin's Creed II, Resident Evil 5, Left 4 Dead and Hitman: Blood Money
Examples: Kingpin: Life of Crime, Yakuza 3, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Grand Theft Auto III and Manhunt 2
A video game, in the most extreme cases, may be refused classification when the game contains content that exceeds acceptable social standards and could be potentially harmful to society. The purchase of M18 rated games legally require retailers to conduct age checks, while ADV16 rated games are not required to have mandatory age checks. Previously, the Media Development Authority had also banned several video games before the introduction of the classification system. For example, (as of November 2007) the video game The Darkness (due to presence of graphic violence and swear words) and more recently Mass Effect from BioWare due to the in game option of a homosexual romance if the player chooses to play as a female. Mass Effect was later unbanned with the implementation of the aforementioned games ratings system that was still in development then. However, similar games with graphic violence such as Prince of Persia and Gears of War (players can perform decapitation moves) or other BioWare games like Neverwinter Nights and Jade Empire (which both allow the possibility of male-male and female-female romances) have not been banned or censored.
The scripts of all plays to be performed in Singapore must be vetted in advance by the Media Development Authority (MDA), which has the right to ban any it views as "contrary to the public interest". Appeals against MDA's decisions can be made to the Broadcast, Publications and Arts Appeal Committee (BPAA). [2] In 1994, performance artist Josef Ng protested the arrest and caning of 12 homosexual men by caning slabs of tofu, then turning his back to the audience and snipping off some pubic hair. He was charged with committing an obscene act and banned from performing in public, and his theatre group's grants were cancelled. [12]
In 2005, the MDA withheld the licence for the play Human Lefts by Benny Lim and Brian Gothong Tan unless some scenes were edited and all references to the death penalty removed. The play was originally written about the hanging of Shanmugam Murugesu and was to have been staged one day after the controversial execution of Australian national Nguyen Tuong Van. [13]
In August 2006, a play Smegma was banned by Media Development Authority which said that: "the play portrays Muslims in a negative light." [14]
In May 2010, the National Arts Council had cut the annual grant given to local theatre company W!LD RICE. It will get $170,000 this year, down from $190,000 the year before. It is the lowest annual grant that the company has received from the council. Artistic director Ivan Heng says the council told him funding was cut because its productions promoted alternative lifestyles, were critical of government policies and satirised political leaders. In March 2011, NAC increased to $1.92 million, a 25% hike, the amount to be given to 16 arts companies, including W!LD RICE, under its one-year Major Grant scheme. [15]
The state-owned MediaCorp controls all free-to-air terrestrial local TV channels licensed to broadcast in Singapore, as well as 14 radio channels. Both free-to-air and pay television channels are available on cable and fiber. The popular HBO series Sex and the city was banned from broadcast originally in the late 90s when the series debuted but the ban was later lifted in 2004 after modifications to the Subscription TV Programme Code of Singapore. Private ownership of satellite dishes is illegal, though international TV broadcasts (such as CNN International, BBC World News, Fox News Channel, RT, etc.) are available on Starhub TV and SingTel IPTV service Singtel TV. The Info-communications Media Development Authority, through its Programme Advisory Committees for each of the four official languages, [16] monitors and provides feedback on broadcast content. Permissible content on Singaporean TV is regulated by IMDA's Free-to-Air Television Programme Code. [17] As of July 2011, Singapore relaxed television broadcast guidelines allowing Pay TV operators to screen NC16, M18 and R21 films containing graphic content and mature/controversial themes on Pay TV Video-on-Demand (VOD) services. [18] In July 2016, the MDA officially greenlit R21-rated content for Over-the-Top (OTT) services.
Internet services provided by the three major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are subject to regulation by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA), which blocks 100 "symbolic" [19] websites such as Playboy and YouPorn. Since 8 October 2014, online gambling has been regulated in Singapore. [20]
Government agencies have been known to use or threaten to use litigation against bloggers and other Internet content providers. The first instance of such activity was against Sintercom in July 2001 when the founder, Dr Tan Chong Kee was asked to register the website under the nascent Singapore Broadcast Authority Act (now Media Development Authority). Dr Tan chose to shut down Sintercom due to concerns over the ambiguity of the Act. In April 2005, a blogger, Chen Jiahao, then a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was made to apologise and shut down his blog containing criticisms on government agency A*STAR, after its chairman Philip Yeo threatened to sue for defamation.
In September 2005, 3 people were arrested and charged under the Sedition Act for posting racist comments on the Internet. Two were sentenced to imprisonment. [21] Later, the Teachers' Union announced that it is offering legal assistance to teachers who want to take legal action against students who defame them on their blogs, after five students from Saint Andrew's Junior College were suspended for three days for allegedly "flaming" two teachers and a vice-principal on their blogs. [22]
In the last few years, the government has taken a much tougher stand on Internet-related matters, including censorship. Proposed amendments to the Penal Code intend to hold Internet users liable for "causing public mischief", and give the authorities broader powers in curtailing freedom of speech. [23] In September 2008, US citizen Gopalan Nair was sentenced to 3 months imprisonment for insulting a public servant after he accused a Singapore judge of "prostituting herself" in his blog. [24]
Starting 1 June 2013, the Media Development Authority requires sites "that report regularly on issues relating to Singapore and have significant reach" among website visitors in Singapore to apply for individual licences, which will be subject to annual renewal. These websites must then post a "performance bond" of 50,000 Singapore dollars and remove any objectionable content within 24 hours of receiving a government order. [25] On 14 June 2013, the Asia Internet Coalition voiced their concerns. [26]
A motion picture content rating system is an organization designated to classify films based on their suitability for audiences due to their treatment of issues such as sex, violence, or substance abuse; their use of profanity; or other matters typically deemed unsuitable for children or adolescents. Most countries have some form of rating system that issues determinations variously known as certifications, classifications, certificates, or ratings. Age recommendations, of either an advisory or restrictive capacity, are often applied in lieu of censorship; in some jurisdictions movie theaters may have a legal obligation to enforce restrictive ratings.
In broadcasting, the watershed is the time of day after which programming aimed towards mature or adult audiences is permitted.
Television content rating systems are systems for evaluating the content and reporting the suitability of television programs for children, teenagers, or adults. Many countries have their own television rating system and countries' rating processes vary by local priorities. Programs are rated by the organization that manages the system, the broadcaster, or the content producers.
The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is a statutory board under the Singapore Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).
Film censorship is carried out by various countries to differing degrees, sometimes as a result of powerful or relentless lobbying by organizations or individuals. Films that are banned in a particular country change over time.
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is responsible for the classification and review of television programs, motion pictures and home videos.
The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of expression, but places certain restrictions on content, with a view towards maintaining communal and religious harmony, given the history of communal tension in the nation. According to the Information Technology Rules 2011, objectionable content includes anything that "threatens the unity, integrity, defence, security or sovereignty of India, friendly relations with foreign states or public order".
The Media Development Authority was a statutory board of the Singapore Government, under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).
Censorship is a long term issue in Malaysia which has become more apparent as it attempts to adapt to a modern knowledge-based economy. Despite having in its Federal Constitution that subject to certain conditions, "every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression", Malaysia has consistently sat low on global indexes related to press and media freedom.
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.
Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments, private institutions and other controlling bodies.
The British Board of Film Classification is a non-governmental organisation founded by the film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited at cinemas and video works released on physical media within the United Kingdom. It has a statutory requirement to classify all video works released on VHS, DVD, Blu-ray, and, to a lesser extent, some video games under the Video Recordings Act 1984. The BBFC was also the designated regulator for the UK age-verification scheme which was abandoned before being implemented.
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, New South Wales.
Film censorship in Malaysia is pervasive, and the Film Censorship Board of Malaysia is the government ministry that which dictates whether, when, and how a film gets released in the country. It is under the control of the Ministry of Home Affairs. The government censors film content for mainly homosexual, political and religious reasons.
Sex.Violence.FamilyValues is a 2012 film anthology by writer-director Ken Kwek.
Media regulation in the Republic of Singapore is carried out by the Info-communications Media Development Authority (IMDA) and effected by various laws.
The Kenya Film Classification Board is a state corporation that operates under the Government of Kenya whose mandate is to "regulate the creation, broadcasting, possession, distribution and exhibition of films by rating them." The Board was founded in 1963 with the commencement of the laws outlined in the Films and Stage Plays Act of 1962 and has since involved itself in the rating and classification of films and television programmes. More recently, it has caused controversy by banning several films, such as the American box office success The Wolf of Wall Street, the Kenyan film Stories of Our Lives, Rafiki, and the 2015 film Fifty Shades of Grey based on the novel of the same name. The Board has also regulated television content, including advertisements.
Censorship of LGBT issues is practised by a number of countries around the world. They may take a variety of forms, including, the Russian ban on "promotion of non-traditional sexual relationships", the Hungarian ban on "content portraying or promoting sex reassignment or homosexuality", and laws in Muslim-majority states such as Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Malaysia prohibiting advocacy that offends Islamic morality.
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