| Author (Corporate) | Cardiff EDC (Compiler) |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 2018 |
| Content Type | Overview |
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Summary: France's President Emmanuel Macron vowed on 3 January 2018 to introduce legislation to ban fake news on the internet during French election campaigns. The proposed laws was adopted by the National Assembly on 3 July but later rejected by the Senate on 26 July. Further information: President Macron stated he intend to put forward legislation aimed at regulating social media platforms during election periods 'in order to protect democracy'. This could include further transparency about sponsored content, by introducing the need for websites to declare who finances them. The amounf of money for sponsored content could also be capped. For fake news published during election seasons, an emergency legal action could allow authorities to remove that content or even block the website, Mr Macron said. The President also said he wanted to act against what he called 'propaganda articulated by thousands of social media accounts'. The draft laws were subject to criticism at the National Assembly due to concerns over its effectiveness and potential effect on free speech. The Senate ultimately rejected the proposed legislation for these same reasons. During the election campaign in spring 2017, Macron was the subject of various fake news stories about alleged offshore accounts. He filed a legal complaint after these stories were used against him during the campaign ahead of the presidential election. |
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| Subject Categories | Culture, Education and Research |
| Subject Tags | Information Society |
| Keywords | Disinformation | Fake News |
| Countries / Regions | France |
