Premier Lin Chuan (林全) yesterday said the government would not resort to legislation to curb “fake news,” but would — through “Internet governance” — commission a third party to establish a fact-checking mechanism.
Calls for anti-infiltration regulation and amendments to the Fundamental Communications Act (通訊傳播基本法) have been made in response to increasing reports of “fake news” on the Internet and the spread of false information.
“The freedom of speech and human rights protections that Taiwanese enjoy today are the fruit of the toil and blood of the nation’s countless democracy pioneers. The government will not allow any damage to be done to them,” Cabinet spokesperson Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) quoted the premier as saying.
Photo: CNA
As the negative effects of “fake news” should not be overlooked, the government would look to examples abroad and — with maintaining a free and open Internet and the concept of “Internet governance” in mind — would commission businesses and third parties to set up a fact-checking mechanism instead of creating legislation or amending laws, Hsu quoted Lin as saying.
Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) is to help coordinate creation of the mechanism that would notify Internet users if the material they are posting contains “fake news,” Hsu said.
The Cabinet also yesterday announced that the Ministry of the Interior and related agencies are to hold seminars, speeches and other events to celebrate the nation’s first Freedom of Expression Day on April 7 after its establishment as a national holiday on Dec. 19 last year to commemorate the death of democracy activist Deng Nan-jung (鄭南榕), who killed himself by self-immolation on April 7, 1989, in defense of “100 percent freedom of expression.”
Freedom of expression is a vital value of modern democratic nations, the premier said.
“Institutional or environmental changes have different impacts. We hope that society can establish room for rational debate through respecting different opinions and thereby cultivate independent thinking,” the premier said.
“We hope that freedom of speech — which signifies both freedom of expression and free thinking — could gain deeper roots,” he said.
Minister of the Interior Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) said that Taiwan’s freedom of speech faces pressure from commercial and political forces, and human rights faces possible transgression from cyberbullying and online hate speech, which are part of today’s vibrant flow of information.
Additional Reporting by CNA
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