Singapore to require operating licenses for Yahoo, other select news sites starting June 1st

Singapore isn't necessarily known for its generous media freedoms, but the Southeast Asian city-state is planning to tighten the reigns even further next month. Beginning June 1st, any online news outlet with more than 50,000 unique monthly visitors within Singapore that also reports on the country at least once each week will need to obtain an operating license from the Media Development Authority. According to a press release, the objective of such a policy, which already covers print publications, is to "provide greater clarity" when it comes to text and visual media the government will not allow to be published, such as "content that undermines racial or religious harmony." The agency's release lists a total of 10 online publications that will be affected by the new policy, including sg.news.yahoo.com, businesstimes.com.sg and straitstimes.com. According to a Reuters report, blogs are currently excluded, though we could see stricter regulation on that front in the future.

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Source: AsiaOne, Reuters