'Fake News Punishment Act' One Day Away: "Will My Comments Be Punishable?"

[Anchor]

The revised Information and Communications Network Act, often referred to as the "Fake News Punishment Act," goes into effect tomorrow, Tuesday, July 7. If it is proven that someone distributed information on a network knowing it was fake, with the intent to cause harm to others or gain unfair profit, they may face punitive damages of up to five times the actual damage.

Kim Minjun has the report.

[Reporter]

This video, which shows national soccer team player Jens Castrop hitting former coach Hong Myung-bo on the head.

It garnered over 10 million views in one week and became a major topic of discussion, but it was a fake created using AI.

With the revised Information and Communications Network Act taking effect tomorrow, there is a higher possibility that uploading such videos without disclosing that they are fake will be subject to sanctions.

Of course, not all information that is simply factually incorrect will be punished as false or manipulated information.

Authorities will comprehensively consider factors such as intent, purpose, and whether the rights of others were infringed upon, while exceptions have been made for criticism, satire, and parody.

While general KakaoTalk conversations or group chats are excluded, open chat rooms where an unspecified number of people participate are included in the scope of the law.

Following news that fines of up to 1 billion won and punitive damages of up to five times the amount could be imposed, users in online communities have expressed anxiety, with comments such as "Everyone should check their posts ten times before uploading" and "This is a crazy level of censorship."

Some are even sharing ways to respond, such as "Strictly separate facts from opinions and clearly state that it is a personal opinion."

Experts also point out that the criteria for distinguishing between freedom of expression and false or manipulated information remain ambiguous.

[Interview] Lee Sung-yeop / Professor at Korea University Graduate School of Management of Technology: "The criteria for determining (whether information is false or manipulated) are so vague that if a report is filed, the platform must take certain measures such as deletion. This is highly likely to lead to a chilling effect on freedom of expression."

While the intent is to clean up the public sphere, concerns are being raised that it could inadvertently stifle freedom of expression and the media's function of monitoring power.

Reported by Kim Minjun | Video by Choi Hye-young | Graphics by Im Chan-hyuk | Video courtesy of YouTube 'Fact Research Institute'
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.