Singapore's parliament has passed a wide-ranging anti-fake news law that some fear could lead to censorship and abuse of power.
Supporters said that the law targets factually incorrect statements but does not apply to opinion, criticism, satire or parody.
"Free speech should not be affected by this bill," Singapore law minister K. Shanmugam told parliament. "We are talking here about falsehoods. We are talking about bots, trolls, fake accounts and so on. The working of a democratic society depends on the members of that society being informed and not misinformed."
Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, called Singapore's new law a threat to press freedom there.
"This is really moving toward a Big Brother style of control and censorship project," Robertson told the BBC. "It's a direct threat to freedom of expression and is something the entire world should be alarmed about."
Singapore civil rights activist Kirsten Han said that the law could give those opposing the government pause, knowing the law could be used against them.