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An expert panel of the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry has begun full-fledged discussions on measures to prevent the flood of false information on the internet. It is hoped that the panel will create an effective system to ensure that tech giants implement thorough measures to deal with disinformation online.
Regarding slander and defamation against individuals and others, the Information Distribution Platform Law will come into effect by May next year. The law obliges operators to improve systems for the prompt deletion of inappropriate posts, such as by establishing contact points to receive requests from victims.
The government intends to determine which companies will be subject to the law based on their number of users and other criteria.
Although measures against slander and defamation are one step ahead of those in other areas, there is still disinformation that is not covered by this law. To address this issue, the ministry launched the expert panel in October.
With the spread of generative artificial intelligence, it is an age when anyone can easily create sophisticated fake videos. As false information, which can mislead voters, is rampant worldwide, there are concerns that this could shake democracy.
Keeping the basic premise of respecting freedom of expression in mind, there is an urgent need to create a system urging social media operators and other entities to promptly delete illegal posts.
It is hoped that the government will explore what a system suitable for Japan should be like by referring to existing examples in other countries.
In 2022, the European Union enforced the Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires companies to prevent the spread of false information. In its investigation into X Corp., formerly known as Twitter, Inc., the EU is placing particular emphasis on the status of the implementation of measures against disinformation, among other things.
If the DSA is violated, fines of up to 6% of annual global sales can be imposed, so it is considered a highly effective regulation.
Britain has also passed a law similar to the DSA. Legislation to prevent disinformation is steadily progressing in Europe.
Japan, on the other hand, has been leaving measures for disinformation prevention to the voluntary efforts of companies. It is hoped that deeper discussions will be made on whether it is possible to legally require operators to take measures against disinformation without infringing on freedom of expression.
It is also important to prevent the “attention economy,” in which the maximization of advertising revenue is sought by attracting attention through extreme headlines and other means.
A system has developed in which the more users view a social media site, the more advertising revenue the operating companies and other services receive, and a portion of the revenue is allocated to posters.
Under the allocation system, the more views a post receives, the more money is given to the poster. This has therefore become a factor leading to the rampant distribution of disinformation for the sake of increasing the number of views.
To improve such a situation, measures should be taken to prevent those who post false information from earning money.
