Sadly, some digital platforms are awash with disinformation and misinformation.
Fed up with a flood of fake online news and its possible danger to democracy,
the Spanish government has come up with a draft law to tackle this challenge.
If one is a social media influencer with a large following, say 100,000 on a single platform,
or 200,000 across multiple sites, if this bill becomes law, then it will be obligatory for one
to correct misinformation or falsehoods or else face court action if one fails to comply.
Justice minister Félix Bolaños posted on X: “For those who dedicate themselves to lying
and spreading hoaxes every day, the party is over.” Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez weighed
in on this thus, “We citizens, have the right to defend ourselves from professional hoaxers.”
Meanwhile, in a bid to tackle online fakery, the UK government declared that children in England
will be taught how to identify misinformation as part of a planned overhaul of the school curriculum.
Social media platforms would be required to have a mechanism to handle disinformation complaints.
