1D.—(1) Where a chat room or discussion forum is to be maintained by or on behalf of a candidate during the election period, the candidate or his election agent must, before the start of the election period —
(a)
appoint as moderator one or more persons to directly manage the chat room or discussion forum during the election period; and
(b)
notify the Returning Officer of such appointment.
(2) The moderator of a chat room or discussion forum has the following duties:
(a)
he must maintain a record of all messages, including their contents, sent to the chat room or discussion forum during the election period;
(b)
he must without delay remove any message in the chat room or discussion forum as and when directed by and in accordance with the written directions of the Returning Officer or any person acting under the Returning Officer’s authority.
(3) The candidate who or on whose behalf a chat room or discussion forum is maintained during the election period must —
(a)
use his best efforts to ensure that the chat room or discussion forum is maintained in conformity with this regulation and any other written law;
(b)
keep and furnish to the Returning Officer all information, records, documents, data and other materials concerning or relating to the provision of the chat room or discussion forum as the Returning Officer may, from time to time, require during the election period; and
(c)
remove, or prohibit the inclusion of, the whole or any part of any message in the chat room or discussion forum if the Returning Officer informs the moderator of the chat room or discussion forum that the message (or any part of it) is against public interest, public order or national harmony or offends good taste or decency and directs its removal or prohibition.
(4) To avoid doubt, in this regulation, a reference to anything that is or is to be maintained by or on behalf of a candidate includes a reference to anything that is or is to be maintained by the candidate either alone or as part of a group of persons.