The Straits Times
14 March 2018
- RSIS
- Media Mentions
- Disinformation Campaign Could Be the First Step in Attacking Singapore: K. Shanmugam
Disinformation Campaign Could Be the First Step in Attacking Singapore: K. Shanmugam
A campaign of disinformation, where falsehoods are spread subtly and gradually, could be the first step in an attack on Singapore.
This is especially so for foreign actors who want to attack Singapore, but cannot do so using military means, said Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam at the first public hearing on deliberate online falsehoods on Wednesday (March 14).
He was deliberating with Dr Michael Raska of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies on how information warfare and cyber conflicts have been in play throughout the world and their implications for Singapore.
While Singapore might have the edge in conventional warfare, said Dr Raska, the use of disinformation campaigns aimed at political, racial and religious fracture points can offset an attacker’s military inferiority.
“How does Singapore deter (these attacks) and respond militarily? These attacks can happen far away where a conventional response is not viable,” said Dr Raska.
IDSS / GPO / Print / Online
