Following a briefing at Thursday's weekly meeting of the Cabinet on measures to counter the harms caused by misinformation, Premier Lai Ching-te said that the government will act against the deliberate dissemination of false information that gives rise to fear and panic among the public.
Such action will be preconditioned on protections for freedom of speech and Taiwan's pluralistic and democratic values, said the premier, and taken based on existing law, augmented by legislative means to curtail damage caused by the malicious distribution of false and misleading content. The goal is to reduce the negative impact on society and the public good.
Freedom of expression is a bedrock principle of democratic government, said Premier Lai. At the beginning of this year, Taiwan once again received a "free nation" ranking in international human rights organization Freedom House's 2018 Freedom in the World report, and the nation rightfully takes pride in this measure of a free and democratic society.
Nevertheless, with the rise of new internet technologies and social media, the spread of false or incorrect information has become a growing problem. This serious issue now invariably confronts both Taiwan and all nations where freedom of speech is respected. Even with the dedicated efforts of government agencies to clarify misleading reports and some private-sector attempts to clear up false narratives, the end results have their limits. Several democratic countries have therefore begun to use laws and regulations as tools to counter the spread of misinformation.
The premier thanked government agencies for reviewing current regulations and strengthening existing penalties on the dissemination of false information, and for regulating new penalties against perpetrators who spread false information about nuclear accidents, food safety scandals and natural disasters. Meanwhile, in the digital communications bill submitted to the Legislature in November 2017, the Executive Yuan has proposed meaningful regulations on the obligations of social media platform service providers to assist in the protection of right holders. Review of the first wave of amendments is comprehensive, simultaneously covering many fronts to close loopholes in current laws and regulations. The premier asked agencies to continue examining and taking stock of regulations in order to build a robust mechanism against false information.
The spread of disinformation is deliberately aimed at crafting a "fake civil society" in an attempt to disrupt normal democratic order, Premier Lai said, and therefore all agencies have a responsibility to verify and defend the facts promptly. The government's efforts in amending these regulations seek to counter the harms of false news and balance free speech with social order by activating defense mechanisms more swiftly and efficiently, and implementing appropriate laws and regulations. The premier called on the public and platform service providers to join in the government's mission to prevent the spread of misinformation, protect the public's interests, and further strengthen Taiwan's democratic system.