SINGAPORE \u2013 At first glance, the content looks innocuous.<\/p>\n
A Facebook page posts fun facts, celebrity gossip or other \u201cupdates\u201d on happenings in Singapore.<\/p>\n
Amid the clickbait, the tone shifts.<\/p>\n
Suddenly, the same page is amplifying inflammatory narratives claiming Singapore is being \u201ctaken over\u201d by Indians.<\/p>\n
An hour later, the page returns to seemingly innocuous content \u2013 a food review.<\/p>\n
This pivot from casual clickbait to narratives that could undermine the Republic\u2019s racial harmony and multiculturalism was among the patterns The Straits Times found after examining five of the accounts involved in 14 posts that the Government ordered blocked on YouTube, Facebook and X<\/span><\/a> for targeting the Indian community.<\/p>\n This modus operandi \u2013 which was most pronounced on Facebook \u2013 resembles techniques seen in foreign influence campaigns, where social media accounts first draw followers with clickbait before introducing divisive messaging.<\/p>\n A screengrab of content on YouTube which selectively used images and footage of crowded streets in Little India.<\/p>\n PHOTO: MDDI<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The posts selectively used images and footage of crowded streets in Little India and of Indian devotees at a religious festival here to back their claims that Singapore is \u201covercrowded\u201d with Indians, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said.<\/p>\n One Chinese-language Facebook page, with its name translating to Singapore Fun House, has more than 86,000 followers and posts Singapore-related news daily.<\/p>\n Its history, however, suggests that it did not start as a Singapore-centric page.<\/p>\n Created in November 2020, it was known then as Xiu Jie Kai\u2019s Love Manual, posting photos of the Taiwanese actor almost daily.<\/p>\n Less than a year later, it was renamed Malaysia Fun Facts Museum, before adopting its current name in June 2022.<\/p>\n None of the nine people managing the page appear to be Singapore-based \u2013 seven are in Hong Kong, one is in the United States, and the last has an undisclosed location.<\/p>\n Yet the page routinely posts Singapore-related news, sharing links to various Chinese-language websites that look similar, despite having different names.<\/p>\n These websites all list the same operator in their privacy policies: Wubianjie, a China-based digital marketing company.<\/p>\n Another Chinese-language Facebook group that shared anti-Indian content appears to follow the same playbook. Its name translates to Malaysia Must Go Fans\u2019 Tips Section.<\/p>\n It shares Malaysian news and redirects those who click the links to websites also operated by Wubianjie.<\/p>\n The company previously drew scrutiny from Taiwan\u2019s National Security Bureau and Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF), which flagged the company for its alleged links to a foreign influence campaign.<\/p>\n The April report by RSF, or Reporters Without Borders, said Wubianjie, based in the Chinese port city of Qinhuangdao, controls hundreds of Facebook pages, which weave in narratives aligned with Beijing\u2019s perspective.<\/p>\n The Taiwanese bureau said in 2025 that Wubianjie operates social media accounts on Facebook, Threads and X, posting about \u201csoft topics\u201d to expand its reach before attempting to sway public opinion.<\/p>\n In Singapore\u2019s case, Law and Second Home Affairs Minister Edwin Tong said on June 6<\/span><\/a> that investigations show the offending content was \u201clikely generated organically by various foreign netizens\u201d.<\/p>\n There is no evidence at present to suggest a coordinated campaign by any government, he said.<\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>