How 10 blocked websites masquerade as authentic Singapore news sites

Ten fake websites have been blocked by the Singapore authorities over concerns that they could potentially be used to lay the groundwork for disinformation campaigns here.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said the websites masquerade as Singapore websites by spoofing or using terms associated with Singapore in their domain names and incorporating familiar local features and visuals.

The Straits Times takes a closer look at the banned websites.

Alamak.io

The site’s name uses the colloquial expression of shock often used by Singaporeans.

It presents itself as a local news site, populated with Singapore-related news articles lifted from local media, including CNA and ST, that are likely paraphrased with the help of artificial intelligence tools.

The website also contains lifestyle articles, world news and commentaries on socio-political issues.

The website was flagged by MHA and IMDA for falsely alleging that Singapore had allowed other countries to conduct biological warfare research activities on its shores.

Alamak.io has carried several commentaries by Russia’s Ambassador to Singapore Nikolay Kudashev, including one on colonialism, which was retweeted by the Russian Embassy in Singapore.

The site’s articles have also been reposted by Mr Kudashev on his Facebook account, including a memorial piece he had written on Soviet Union civilians who had died during World War II.

The domain for Alamak.io is registered in Russia, based on ST’s checks using internet domain database Whois.

Zaobaodaily.com and singaporeinfomap.com

Zaobaodaily.com’s domain name closely resembles the name of Singapore’s largest Chinese-language newspaper, Lianhe Zaobao, which runs on zaobao.com.sg.

Meanwhile, singaporeinfomap shares the name of a now-defunct government-run online portal that served as the Republic’s home page during the early days of the internet.

MHA and IMDA flagged these sites for using domain names familiar to Singapore audiences, who could be misled into thinking they reflect local opinions or official positions.

The stories on both platforms are largely written in English, with an emphasis on technology and China-related news.

The majority of the stories are published without author bylines.

The two sites are said to be part of a network linked to Shanghai Haixun Technology, a Chinese public relations firm.

The network is said to adopt the guise of an independent global news outlet and publish content in 11 languages, according to research by Google-owned cyber-security firm Mandiant. Mandiant found that the network tapped services and infrastructure belonging to Haixun to host and distribute content, with 72 websites used to target audiences across the US, Europe and Asia.

It has published content criticising the US and its allies while carrying pro-China articles, including those in support of the reform of Hong Kong’s electoral system, Mandiant reported.

The seven other sites

The remaining blocked sites – Singaporeera.com, Singdaotimes.com, Todayinsg.com, Lioncitylife.com, Singapuranow.com, Voasg.com and Singdaopr.com – are believed to operate under the same network, repeating similar stories and tactics.

The sites’ names are a play on Singapore’s name and its associated terms, including Singapura, Singdao and Lioncity, and all generally publish Singapore and business-related news. All seven sites also share the same US-based internet domain registrar, ST found.

Many of the sites, including Singaporeera.com and Voasg.com, display icons and landmarks of the city state, such as photos of Marina Bay, on their home pages.

The sites are also littered with thumbnails depicting sights in the city, like people involved in beach cleaning and business events.

They also repeat business-related stories from newswires, with the brand logos of the companies involved – including Fujitsu, Toyota and Ensign InfoSecurity – prominently displayed.

The sites publish stories from newswire TimesNewswire, which threat analysts found to be at the centre of a separate Chinese influence operation targeting US audiences.

TimesNewswire’s content was prominently used in an influence campaign involving at least 120 websites operating in China, cyber-threat researcher The Citizen Lab reported in February. The outlets posed as local news platforms in 30 countries across Europe, Asia and Latin America, spreading pro-Beijing disinformation concealed within walls of everyday content.

Many stories on the seven sites are credited to public relations firm SeaPRwire, which supplies press releases to the banned sites and media outlets in Vietnam, Hong Kong, China and Singapore.

SeaPRwire is a strategic partner of TimesNewswire, according to an announcement in 2022 on SeaPRwire’s expansion in South-east Asia.

Media literacy key as blocked fake news sites can easily spread disinformation: Experts

The 10 fake news sites blocked on Oct 22 in Singapore may appear innocuous and authentic, but they have likely been primed to launch disinformation campaigns, signalling the need for greater public awareness to spot them, said experts.

Describing the fake news sites as “sleeper websites”, Associate Professor of Law Eugene Tan of SMU’s Yong Pung How School of Law, said the foreign actors behind them are likely playing the long game and can easily weaponise the sites for a disinformation campaign when the need arises.

On Oct 22, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) ordered internet service providers, including Singtel, M1 and StarHub, to block access to the 10 sites using provisions under the Broadcasting Act.

The sites masqueraded as Singapore news sites by spoofing or using terms associated with Singapore in their domain names and incorporating familiar local features and visuals. They also carried content on Singapore, some of which was generated by artificial intelligence tools.

Mr Benjamin Ang, head of digital impact research at NTU’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), said that these sites feature mostly news and lifestyle stories to create the appearance of credibility. It would be challenging for the public to tell if they are fake.

“Thus, it is important for us to think carefully before sharing individual stories, especially those that are emotive or sensitive, regardless of how many ‘news’ sites we might see them appear on,” said Mr Ang.

The 10 blocked websites have used local-sounding domain names and local images in an effort to look authentic, and the public needs to up their game where media literacy is involved, Mr Ang added.

Although the websites have not mounted any hostile information campaign against Singapore, they could potentially be used to do so in future, said MHA in response to media queries on Oct 22.

And their pre-emptive takedown shows that government agencies are alert to the potential threat these fake websites pose to Singapore’s social fabric, said Dr Shashi Jayakumar, the executive director of geopolitical consultancy firm SJK Geostrategic Advisory.

“When the orchestrator decides to ramp up operations for its own reasons, this trust and credibility (built up thus far) can be further leveraged as the originator might seem to be a genuine news source,” added Dr Jayakumar.

Prof Tan noted that it would be impossible to block access to all fake news sites. Recognising that the blocking is symbolic in nature, he said the move acts more as a signal to the public that threats posed by such foreign fake websites are real.

For instance, one of the blocked sites, Alamak.io – which uses the Singapore-associated colloquial expression of shock – published commentaries on sociopolitical issues, including one that falsely alleged that Singapore had allowed other countries to conduct their biological warfare research activities here.

The same site also carried paraphrased versions of Singapore-related news articles published by local mainstream media.

Mr Ang said that the blocking would raise public awareness that the blocked sites, although seemingly local, are part of a foreign network found responsible for influence operations. 

The blocked websites are:

1. zaobaodaily.com
2. singaporeinfomap.com
3. Singaporeera.com
4. Singdaotimes.com
5. Todayinsg.com
6. Lioncitylife.com
7. Singapuranow.com
8. Voasg.com
9. Singdaopr.com
10. Alamak.io

Dr Jayakumar said many of the sites appeared to be pro-China, while Alamak.io seemed to have a pro-Russian slant.

For instance, Alamak.io has carried several commentaries by Russia’s Ambassador to Singapore Nikolay Kudashev, including one on colonialism, which was retweeted by the Russian Embassy in Singapore.

The site’s articles have also been reposted by Mr Kudashev on his Facebook account, including a memorial piece he had written on Soviet Union civilians who had died during World War II.

Prof Tan suggests that it is likely that foreign states behind the websites operate through intermediaries such as public relations firms.

Mr Ang said research by RSIS has traced some of these sites to networks maintained by public relations companies, complete with price lists. This means that a client can pay the network to post 100 copies of a story on 100 sites, which can then be shared through social media to create the illusion that the story is true, he added.

This process, according to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, is known as information (or disinformation) laundering, where the network creates its own echo chamber by sharing a fake story or false narrative that might eventually be boosted into the mainstream news ecosystem, which helps amplify the reach of the story.

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

More than 7 years’ jail for man who cheated insurance firm of around $1.9m Court of Appeal upholds 16 years’ jail for teen who killed River Valley High schoolmate with axe