Counting the cost of digital trust

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AI can also remove foreign accents from callers’ voices, making them sound more like a local representative. Most alarmingly, AI is used to create deepfake voices, images and videos. A scammer can grab as little as 30 seconds of someone talking on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram to create an AI version of that person’s voice. 

Another complaint is that social media companies do not govern the misuse of their algorithms, which prioritise news feeds that reinforce existing interests or beliefs, to amplify inherent biases and promote misinformation, hate and polarisation. The Brexit vote in 2016 leading to Britain’s exit from the EU, and Donald Trump’s election as the president of the United States in 2016, are widely believed to have been aided by bots amplifying biases and misinformation to target undecided voters.

Inclusiveness, equal access to resources: Education leaders reflect on Singapore’s education system

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There is that equality of funding as a baseline, so there’s no constant worry about whether you are going to have enough teachers or support,

Here, your zip code does not determine your destiny,

that a student’s financial background should not determine his or her destiny. “Instead, the methods and focus of our education system can and should be the determinants of the outcome,” ...“We must ensure that students in Singapore, regardless of background, are able to rise beyond their lack of family support

Our brand of meritocracy is with Singapore characteristics, which will allow each and every child to go as far as they need

Qn: To what extent does social class determine an individual's success in your society? (TJC Prelim 2023)

Stabbings, riots and misinformation in Sydney prompt concerns about social cohesion

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concerned about the role of social media, which allowed people to quickly mobilise and “take the law into their own hands”. “We assumed that things were normal and that resources for education and other measures were no longer required,

a wave of misinformation spread on social media about the attacker, including speculation about his skin colour and beard and claims that he was a Muslim terrorist. Others spread claims that the attacker was Jewish – a fabrication that was even reported by broadcaster Channel Seven.

The spread of misinformation during both incidents has prompted a proposed crackdown on social media. The federal government will introduce legislation later in 2024 to enable the media authority to fine social media companies that fail to take adequate steps to combat harmful misinformation and disinformation.

We need regulation to save kids from mobile device addiction

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Many parents are indulging or even engendering their children’s online habits without realising they are actually providing children the tools to be exposed to undesirable content from a young age

It was reported that there was a 30 per cent increase in the number of youths arrested for sexual crimes in 2023 compared with the previous year. It’s telling that the two reasons cited were early exposure to sexually explicit materials and access to inappropriate or inaccurate information about sexual behaviours and relationships.

China has passed laws that limit the amount of screen time for kids, and restrict their access to online gaming and social media. Children under eight are allowed to use digital devices only for a maximum of 40 minutes a day, and, even then, the use is restricted to approved content deemed beneficial to the development of a child. Youth under 18 are not permitted to use their smartphones for social media or online gaming between 10pm and 6am each day.

New study bolsters idea of athletic differences between men and trans women

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Note how science is used to both fight and justify discrimination against transgender in sport...

For qns on sport and science

Barcelona is throwing tourists under the bus

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For qns on tourism...

Malaysia plans to roll out more women-only coaches on trains to curb sexual harassment

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Singaporeans should learn more languages, not settle for just being bilingual

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Speaking another person’s native tongue – even if struggling or with a strange accent – does help one to click and connect with him or her instantly. If we delve a little deeper, the language can even help us understand and appreciate the other person’s culture, heritage and values.

Multilingualism opens doors to new markets and opportunities. “In today’s globalised world, mastering foreign languages is increasingly important for success in international trade and business

even more so in a troubled world marked by geopolitical tensions. Effective communication across languages and cultures is essential for building bridges, fostering cooperation, and finding shared solutions.

Qn: Do you agree that it is important to know a foreign language today?  (NYJC Prelim 2019)

When distance makes friendships more cherished

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But when it works, those video calls work wonders at making people feel more connected – sometimes even more so than after face-to-face gatherings.

Science tells us that talking and hugging are good for us, releasing a feel-good hormone called oxytocin, which is sometimes termed the “cuddle hormone”.  Oxytocin makes people, especially women, feel happy and less stressed. As I stood with my arms around my friends of 40 years, ....I voiced the thought in my heart: “This is why I need to come back to see you all face to face, because a video call can’t do this.”

The sad reality though is that some friendships will fade as people move away. The sheer tyranny of distance – of time, and of space – means it will get harder for friends to find common ground when their daily lives diverge. So even as I do my best to maintain ties with friends in Singapore, a part of me lives in resigned sadness that some of those ties will fade with time.

Qn: To what extent has social media devalued true friendship in your society? (Cam. 2021)

Man linked to Wake Up, Singapore article that had falsehoods about KKH to face defamation charge

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an investigation into the article, which was published by alternative news site Wake Up, Singapore (WUSG) on its website, Instagram and Facebook, found the claims to be false.

It had alleged that KKH’s mismanagement of healthcare services caused a female patient to suffer a miscarriage after a four-hour wait at KKH’s Accident and Emergency Department on Feb 28, 2022.

the Ministry of Health (MOH) said it has instructed the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act Office to issue a correction direction to WUSG for publishing the false account.

For qns on regulation of the media.....

That landfill you are ignoring oozes methane

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Qn: 'Consumerism is more of a curse than a blessing.' How true is this of the world today?

Forum: Don’t blame internet for the ugliness of our own nature

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For qns on the internet, media and technology.....

Swifties in the age of Spotify and social media: How music has evolved

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For qns on technology and music....

Top court orders Indian yoga guru and tycoon to issue public apology for false ads

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Qn: Is regulation of the press desirable? (Cam. 2017)

Hong Kong sees subtle shifts in reporting environment, faces fresh scrutiny over media freedoms

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Hong Kong has previously been held up as a bastion of media freedom in Asia. It fell 17 places to 46th spot in a global freedom ranking,... Myanmar, which declined the most, fell 20 spots to 162nd place. Singapore came in 44th in that ranking.

Qn: Is regulation of the press desirable? (Cam. 2017)

S’pore oceans ambassador Rena Lee makes Time magazine’s list of 100 most influential people of 2024

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Qn: Evaluate the claim that equality of opportunity for females is a desirable, but unrealistic, goal. (Cam. 2016)

‘Climate-controlled’ sausage? Courts crack down on ‘greenwashing’

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American F&B chains in Malaysia still face boycott over Gaza war

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The ‘3 Body Problem’ of adapting content across borders

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Qn: ‘Any adaptation of a novel for film, television or the theatre is never as effective as the original’. Discuss. (Cam. 2016)

Parents of US school shooter sentenced to 10 to 15 years in prison

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Qns (Prelim 2023)

1. Do you agree that parents have a difficult job today?

2. Consider the view that today’s parents are overprotective of their children.

3. ‘Children grow up too fast today.’ How true is this of your society?

North Korean kids face death penalty for distributing K-dramas: Seoul envoy to UN

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More Chinese turn to online services to remember loved ones during Qing Ming

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X takes down ISIS videos showing Moscow concert hall killings after being notified by IMDA

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S’pore’s cyborg cockroaches show how they help in rescue missions

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Qn: Can the use of animals for scientific research ever be justified? (Cam. 2017)

Where have all the virtuous role models gone?

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young people needed to be given a new definition of success, one less connected with the acquisition of fame and fortune and more with contributing to the world. This would not only help those around them, but enhance their own happiness and well-being too.

We held up leaders like Mandela and Martin Luther King and Gandhi, not because they were rich, not because they were famous, but because of their passion to serve and the sacrifices they made to lift up other people. We’ve got to make that important again.”

Part of the answer is the Internet. Being a paragon of virtue was easier in the time before the baying mobs of social media arrived on the scene. Today, it is almost impossible for anyone in a prominent position to survive without having their character and integrity called into question before too long because of some error of judgment or instance of “wrongthink”.

the West has moved away from ethical outlooks that focus on virtue and towards a utilitarianism that emphasises the outcomes of our actions rather than the content of our characters

An interesting idea about how social media can convey instant fame today, but also create a dearth of real heroes?

Publicly shaming elusive litterbugs – can embarrassment change behaviour?

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Chinese state media stoked allegation Taiwan President Tsai would flee war

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Good example of how state actors try to control the narrative or demonise a particular politician in a bid to control the direction of political development,,,....consider also what Putin is trying to do about the Ukraine War narrative, or what the Israeli govt is doing....

Qn:  Is regulation of the press desirable? (Cambridge 2017)

Go easy on burning of joss papers during Qing Ming, says Malaysian Chinese associations

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Qn: How important is it for people in your society to retain a sense of tradition? (Cam. 2010)