The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it would meet with representatives of Facebook, Line and other major online service providers next month to discuss possible ways to curb the spread of “fake news” over the Internet.
The circulation of fake news over the Internet and its potential to damage democracy was the focus of yesterday’s meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, at which commission Chairwoman Nicole Chan (詹婷怡) briefed lawmakers on the agency’s budget for fiscal year 2017.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) and Huang Kuo-shu (黃國書), as well as Independent Legislator Chao Cheng-yu (趙正宇), urged the commission to be more active in combating fake news.
Chao cited as an example an online report that said Chan’s annual salary is NT$590 million (US$19.24 million), which is the commission’s annual budget.
Lin quoted the commission as having told a Cabinet meeting that the most effective way to limit the damage caused by fake news was for each government agency to establish a section on its Web site to respond to what it regarded as false information on its policies and offer accurate information.
The agency also suggested that an independent third party should be entrusted with verifying the authenticity of information, he added.
What would there be left for the commission to do if it passes the buck to government agencies and a third party, Lin said.
The German government is considering mandating that social media networks establish an office tasked with handling fake news or hateful speech, with noncompliant firms facing 500,000 euro (US$535,893) fines for each fake news report shared on their Web sites, he said.
“Our government needs to be more active in addressing this matter,” Lin said.
Huang said that only 15 percent of government agencies have followed the commission’s advice and created a fact-checking section on their Web sites.
Such a section is nowhere to be found on the Web sites of the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration and the Ministry of Labor, even though the two agencies are dealing with hot-button issues related to a new five-day workweek policy and pension reform, he added.
Chan said that fake news created to damage national security mechanisms should be addressed by national security agencies.
“Government agencies are responsible for pointing out false information and informing the public about the truthful details of policies they are supposed to defend,” Chan said, adding that an independent third party should be invited to verify news reports.
The commission has scheduled a meeting with the representatives of a number of major online service providers next month, Chan said, adding that they would discuss if a mechanism to effectively block the dissemination of fake news could be implemented in Taiwan.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
RSS