Report from EuroNews
In Brief – South Korea has begun enforcing a “fake news” law aimed at curbing online misinformation. It imposes tougher penalties for users who deliberately spread false information and requires major digital platforms to strengthen content reporting systems. The changes to the Information and Communications Network Act followed high-profile cases involving celebrities and political disinformation. Under the new rules, users found to have intentionally spread illegal false information may be ordered to pay up to five times the actual damages. Large digital platforms including Naver, Kakao, Google and Meta must set up systems for users to report suspected false content and publish regular transparency reports on complaints and company enforcement efforts. Critics, including journalists’ groups, argue the lack of a clear definition of false information risks overreach, encouraging platforms to over-censor content and chilling free speech and investigative journalism.
Context – The EU’s Digital Services Act regulates how digital platforms address “any actual or foreseeable negative effects on civic discourse and electoral processes”. EU regulators have pressed the largest platforms to police election-related content for several years, including roundtables and stress-tests before the 2024 EU Parliament elections and the 2025 German election, and directly intervening in the 2024 Romanian election. Earlier this year, French President Emmanuel Macron called on Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to fully use the DSA to counter alleged foreign election interference, including national elections in France, Italy and Poland in 2027, targeting content algorithms, labeling AI-generated material, and ensuring transparency in advertising. Nothing gets the Trump Administration more animated on digital policy than charges that progressive political leaders use online regulation to hamstring conservative populists who have increasingly built alliances with US organizations and leaders. The Trump Administration quickly expressed concerns over the Korean law.