Partly Free
53
/ 100
| A Obstacles to Access | 19 / 25 |
| B Limits on Content | 17 / 35 |
| C Violations of User Rights | 17 / 40 |
Last Year's Score & Status
53 / 100 Partly Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
Internet freedom in Singapore remained constrained during the coverage period. The government continued to exercise control over online information through an array of laws that enable authorities to remove or restrict access to content.
- The government blocked 10 websites it said “could be used to mount hostile information campaigns against Singapore” in October 2024; several of the blocked domains appeared to impersonate Singapore-based websites (B1).1
- After Bloomberg reported on real-estate transactions involving government ministers in December 2024, two ministers mentioned in the article filed defamation lawsuits against the outlet and the journalist who wrote the piece.2 The government issued correction notices under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act connected to purported falsehoods in the piece to Bloomberg and several Singaporean outlets that quoted the reporting (B2 and C3).3
- The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) issued a code of practice for app stores in January 2025 that would require age-assurance or age-verification measures for users, though a timeline for implementation had not been finalized by the end of the coverage period (B3 and C4).4
- Rapper Subhas Nair began a six-week prison term in February 2025 after losing his appeal of a 2023 conviction, in which he was found guilty of “attempting to promote feelings of ill will between racial or religious groups” in social media posts about racism in Singapore (C3).5
Singapore’s parliamentary political system has been dominated by the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) and the powerful Lee family since 1959. The electoral and legal framework that the PAP has constructed allows for some political pluralism, but it constrains the growth of opposition parties and limits freedoms of expression, assembly, and association.
This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.
For additional background information, see last year’s full report.
A1 0-6 pts
| Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? | 6 / 6 |
A2 0-3 pts
| Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? | 3 / 3 |
A3 0-6 pts
| Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? | 5 / 6 |
A4 0-6 pts
| Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? | 4 / 6 |
A5 0-4 pts
| Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? | 1 / 4 |
B1 0-6 pts
| Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? | 4 / 6 |
B2 0-4 pts
| Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? | 1 / 4 |
B3 0-4 pts
| Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? | 1 / 4 |
B4 0-4 pts
| Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? | 2 / 4 |
B5 0-4 pts
| Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? | 2 / 4 |
B6 0-3 pts
| Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? | 1 / 3 |
B7 0-4 pts
| Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? | 3 / 4 |
B8 0-6 pts
| Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? | 3 / 6 |
C1 0-6 pts
| Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? | 1 / 6 |
C2 0-4 pts
| Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? | 1 / 4 |
C3 0-6 pts
| Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? | 3 / 6 |
C4 0-4 pts
| Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? | 2 / 4 |
C5 0-6 pts
| Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? | 2 / 6 |
C6 0-6 pts
| Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? | 3 / 6 |
C7 0-5 pts
| Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? | 3 / 5 |
C8 0-3 pts
| Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? | 2 / 3 |
Footnotes
- 1“Ten inauthentic websites blocked for potential threat of being used to mount hostile information campaigns against Singapore,” Infocomm Media Development Authority, October 22, 2024, https://www.imda.gov.sg/resources/press-releases-factsheets-and-speeche….
- 2Samuel Devaraj, “Ministers Shanmugam, Tan See Leng say parts of Bloomberg article calculated to disparage them,” The Straits Times, March 7, 2025, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/ministers-shanmugam….
- 3Goh Yan Han, “Bloomberg issued Pofma order over article on good class bungalow transactions in S’pore,” The Straits Times, December 24, 2024, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/bloomberg-issued-pofma-order-aft….
- 4“New Online Safety Code of Practice for App Distribution Services Enhances Protection for Singapore Users,” Infocomm Media Development Authority, January 15, 2025, https://www.imda.gov.sg/resources/press-releases-factsheets-and-speeche…; “Code of Practice for Online Safety – App Distribution Services,” Infocomm Media Development Authority, 2025, https://www.imda.gov.sg/-/media/imda/files/regulations-and-licensing/re….
- 5Koh Wan Ting, “Rapper Subhas Nair fails in appeal, starts jail term for attempting to promote ill will between races and religions,” Channel News Asia, February 5, 2025, https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/rapper-subhas-nair-six-week-j….
