The Malaysian government is seeking to prevent the spread of fake news by introducing draconian penalties for anyone caught publishing or passing on false information.
Under a proposed new law, anyone convicted of knowingly creating or spreading “news, information, data and reports which is or are wholly or partly false” could be jailed for up to ten years and fined up to £90,000.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The best homes of the yearFeature Featuring a grand turret entrance in New York and built-in glass elevator in Arizona
-
Nordstrom family, investor to take retail chain privateSpeed Read The business will be acquired by members of the family and El Puerto de Liverpool, a Mexican real estate company
-
Biden commutes most federal death sentencesSpeed Read The president downgraded the punishment of 37 of 40 prisoners on death row to life in prison without parole
-
Why Assad fell so fastThe Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
-
Romania's election rerunThe Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
-
Russia's shadow war in EuropeTalking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the seaIn the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
-
The nuclear threat: is Vladimir Putin bluffing?Talking Point Kremlin's newest ballistic missile has some worried for Nato nations
-
Russia vows retaliation for Ukrainian missile strikesSpeed Read Ukraine's forces have been using U.S.-supplied, long-range ATCMS missiles to hit Russia
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
-
Cuba's energy crisisThe Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
