Netizens were left shocked after a clip showing the display screen of a Singapore-registered car flashed the message ‘f*** Chinese’ several times surfaced online.
Not long after the clip went viral, the owner of the car has since stepped forward and claimed he was wronged in the incident, adding he was the victim of a malicious hack.
Car screen displayed ‘f*** Chinese* continuously
The clip was first shared on Facebook by SG Road Vigilante (SGRV), where it showed the Honda Stepwagon Spada travelling towards the Woodlands Checkpoint on Nov 20.
From the clip, the phrase ‘f*** Chinese’ is flashed across its rear display screen multiple times throughout the journey.
Owner provides explanation
Following the clip’s circulation, the car owner spoke to Shin Min Daily News to explain what really happened.
According to the owner named Maman, he said he purchased the display screen for $30 (approx. RM95) and used it for six months.
Maman, who works as a private-hire driver for Tada, said he had started his shift at 7:30pm and ended work at about 2am on the day of the incident and didn’t notice anything amiss.
It was supposed to display the words ‘Support Liverpool’. I wasn’t aware of the rude phrase until a relative sent me the video of the incident.”
Suspect someone ‘hacked’ into app
Maman said when he went to check his car, he found that the text had reverted back to ‘Support Liverpool’.
He told Shin Min that it was the preset text which would flash up whenever the car comes to a halt and had its engine restarted.
“At 9pm, I picked up a female passenger. She must have seen the text but didn’t inform me and instead submitted a complaint directly to Tada. Thus, the text must have already been changed by then.
“I suspect someone connected to the display screen via the IPixelColour mobile app and changed the text behind my back,” he said, adding no password was set beforehand.
A Shin Min reporter tested the app out by connecting it to Maman’s display and found that it worked from a distance of up to 50m.
Additionally, the text on the display could be changed from another phone using the app.
‘I have many Chinese friends’
Maman also vehemently denied accusations of racism, saying that he had many friends of Chinese descent.
I’m not a racist person. Many of my neighbours and friends are Chinese. Also, in my work, I pick up many Chinese passengers, so why would I do such a thing and damage my own livelihood?”
However, Maman acknowledged that it was wrong of him to install such a display as it was in violation of Land Transport Authority (LTA) rules and has since removed it.
AsiaOne reported that a police report was lodged and that police are currently probing the case.
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