Lee Hsien Yang, estranged brother of former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong, was also issued a POFMA correction order in 2023 over a Facebook post suggesting a possible conflict of interest in the Ridout matter364. Shanmugam and Balakrishnan later sued him365, and in 2024, he was ordered to pay each of them 200,000 SGD (around 147,800 USD)366. POFMA directives over the Ridout Road controversy continued into 2025. TOC received another correction order in February 2025, along with a YouTube channel, Twenty Two Thirty, which had published a video on February 16, 2025, about the bungalow at 26 Ridout Road367. The TOC article that drew the POFMA correction order was titled “Is Shanmugam building a palace at Ridout Road?”368 TOC’s DOL status was also renewed, as it was set to expire in 2025; the government said this was due to the outlet’s continued publication of falsehoods369. Beyond Ridout Road, TOC has been repeatedly targeted for its coverage of other issues since POFMA came into effect in 2019. Following the February 2025 correction order, the outlet announced it would legally challenge the directive and subsequently raised 2,000 SGD (USD 1,540) to appeal in June 2025370. Because it has been declared a DOL since 2023, the outlet has had to rely on public support to fund legal costs, which could reach up to 30,000 SGD (USD 23,100) if the case proceeds to the Court of Appeal371. This illustrates how costly it is to challenge a POFMA order and how the expense can deter entities targeted under the law from defending themselves. The editor-in-chief of TOC currently lives overseas in self-imposed exile due to concerns about harassment through the legal system. “Issuance of Correction Direction Under the Protection From Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act to Lee Hsien Yang.” Ministry of Law, Singapore, 25 July 2023, www.mlaw.gov.sg/news/press-releases/ 2023-07-25-pofma-correction-directions-to-lee-hsien-yang. 365. “Singapore’s K Shanmugam, Vivian Balakrishnan Sue Lee Hsien Yang for Defamation Over Ridout Rental Allegations.” South China Morning Post, 3 Sep. 2023, www.scmp.com/news/asia/southeast-asia/ article/3233237/singapores-k-shanmugam-vivian-balakrishnan-sue-lee-hsien-yang-defamation-overridout-rental. 366. Lam, Lydia. “Lee Hsien Yang Ordered to Pay S$200,000 Each to Shanmugam and Vivian Balakrishnan for Defamation Over Ridout Road.” CNA, 24 May 2024, www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ lee-hsien-yang-defamation-ridout-road-200000-damages-each-shanmugam-vivian-balakrishnan-4360466. 367. “POFMA Orders Issued to The Online Citizen and Twenty Two Thirty for False Claims on 26 Ridout Road.” CNA, 25 Feb. 2025, www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/online-citizen-twenty-two-thirtypofma-ridout-road-4959081. 368. “Is Shanmugam Building a Palace at Ridout Road?” The Online Citizen, 14 Feb. 2025, www.theonlinecitizen. com/2025/02/14/is-shanmugam-building-a-palace-at-ridout-road. 369. Al Anthony, Darcel. “The Online Citizen’s Operator Barred From Financial Benefit for Two More Years Over Repeated Falsehoods.” CNA, 11 June 2025, www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/online-citizenoperator-barred-financial-benefit-two-more-years-repeated-falsehoods-pofma-5174366. 370. “Landmark POFMA Appeal: Over $2,000 Raised for Legal Challenge.” The Online Citizen, 16 June 2025, www.theonlinecitizen.com/2025/06/16/landmark-pofma-appeal-over-2000-raised-for-legal-challenge. 371. Ibid. 364. 77