[Broadcasting Commission Work Plan] Blocking COVID-19 'Fake News'... "Actively Utilizing Private Fact-Checking"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] The government has decided to actively utilize private sector 'fact-checking' to counter fake news and misinformation related to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines. Additionally, to prevent a second 'n-beonbang' incident, sanctions related to the distribution of digital sexual crime materials will be strengthened.

On the 20th, the Korea Communications Commission (KCC) announced its '2021 Work Plan' containing these measures. The KCC plans to support fact-checking collaboration between experts and citizens by utilizing the fact-checking open platform (FactCheckNet) and to share the results of such collaborations. This comes in response to concerns that false and manipulated information has rapidly spread online with the popularization of the internet and smartphones and the growth of individual media, thereby damaging public discourse.

To revitalize the platform, starting this month, fact-checking materials such as educational resources will be databased, and a mobile app will be developed in the second half of this year to enhance user convenience. Furthermore, the system will be advanced to improve the speed and accuracy of fact-checking and will be installed on the platform for anyone to use.

The KCC will also support improvements to related laws and systems to strengthen responses to false and manipulated information. Specifically, by the second half of this year, it plans to review cases of misinformation related to COVID-19 and prepare a 'Disaster Situation False Information Response Manual.' It will also spare no effort in legislative support for punitive damages related to defamation caused by false statements and bills to prevent the distribution of false and manipulated information.

Efforts will also be made to strengthen responses to illegal information such as digital sexual crime materials. If service providers fail to fulfill obligations such as deleting digital sexual crime materials and preventing their distribution, sanctions such as fines will be intensified.

To this end, the KCC will conduct compliance checks on whether responsible persons for preventing the distribution of illegal recordings have been designated and whether transparency reports have been submitted, and will provide education for those responsible. Additionally, it plans to develop and provide a standard database of characteristic values of digital sexual crime materials to internet service providers to be used for filtering measures.

Moreover, to strengthen the protection of children and adolescents online, the KCC will expand the 'Cyber Safe Zone,' a project to prevent smartphone overdependence among youth, from the current 1,843 locations to 2,150. It will also introduce a dark web blocking function, where sexual exploitation materials are frequently distributed, starting in July.