Post something a South Korean court later rules false, and it could cost you five times the damage. The country’s new “fake news” law is now in force, and journalists are alarmed.
South Korea has begun enforcing a tough law against false information online, the Associated Press reports. Courts can now award punitive damages of up to five times proven losses against news outlets and large social accounts, including YouTube creators, that spread false or manipulated content to cause harm or turn a profit.
The penalties climb from there. Distribute something more than twice after a court has ruled it false, and the media regulator can fine you up to 1 billion won, about $656,000. Platforms with more than a million daily users must also pull flagged content or suspend accounts once someone reports it.
Who decides what is false
Here is the catch that worries critics. The platforms make the first call, not a court. Naver, Kakao and their peers must judge whether a report of “false or manipulated” content holds up. A wrong call in either direction still does the damage. The law does exempt public-interest reporting, and regulators insist it is no censorship tool.
