The Bill to Eradicate False and Manipulated Information is being processed under the leadership of the Democratic Party during the plenary session of the December extraordinary parliamentary session held at the National Assembly on December 24 last year. [Yonhap News] With the amended Information and Communications Network Act set to take effect on the 7th, major online platforms such as Naver, Kakao [035720], Google, Meta, and X are preparing to overhaul their systems for reporting and processing false and manipulated information.

The core of the new system is to require platform operators of a certain size to establish self-regulatory policies regarding false and manipulated information, manage reports, and publish transparency reports.

While platforms are developing response measures based on their existing posting policies and community guidelines, there are concerns about potential controversy surrounding the criteria for identifying false information, the scope of actions taken, and user appeal procedures in the early stages of implementation.

Ultimately, experts suggest that the successful establishment of the system depends on creating a transparent operational framework that minimizes concerns over infringing on freedom of expression while upholding the original goal of preventing the spread of false and manipulated information.

◇ Mandatory for platforms with 1 million+ users... Naver and Kakao overhaul reporting systems

The new system primarily mandates that large-scale information and communication service providers establish autonomous operational policies regarding illegal and false, manipulated information, accept and process reports, notify users of results, and publish transparency reports.

The regulations apply to providers whose daily average number of users over the three months preceding the end of the previous year is 1 million or more.

The reporting procedure has also been refined, allowing anyone to report illegal and false or manipulated information to the platform operator.

Reporters must specify the exact location (URL) of the information in question, the relevant details and reasons, supporting evidence, and provide their contact information and name.

In response, domestic platforms with over 1 million users are preparing for the enforcement of the law based on their existing reporting and removal systems.

Naver maintains that it can address false information through its existing terms of service and posting policies.

Naver’s terms of service already state that the company may restrict access, remove posts, or refuse publication if a post violates relevant laws, terms, or operational policies.

The posting policy also allows users to report content that appears to violate relevant laws or policies, and specifies that a dedicated department will review and process such reports.

Ahead of the law’s implementation, Kakao has begun updating its related notices and operational policies.

Kakao recently announced that, in accordance with the amended Information and Communications Network Act, it will implement a reporting function for illegal and false, manipulated information to protect users.

Alongside this, Kakao has also provided guidance on changes to its operational policies in alignment with the enforcement decree.

◇ Meta, X, and Google also prepare... Focusing on limiting exposure and strengthening reporting systems rather than just removal

Global platforms are also expected to respond to the domestic regulations based on their existing community guidelines and reporting systems.

Meta operates its response principles for false and manipulated information by categorizing them into removal, reduction, and notification.

While it does not remove posts simply because they are factually incorrect, it reduces the reach of, or attaches warning labels to, content identified as false by third-party fact-checking organizations.

Pages or accounts containing verified false content may face restrictions on advertising or monetization, and repeat offenders may have their overall content reach limited.

X has separate policies for three categories: false information related to war and disasters, synthetic and manipulated false information, and false information related to elections and voting.

X also explained that it is currently conducting tests in South Korea to allow users to report posts containing potentially misleading information.

Google is also reportedly preparing response measures to be applied to its services, including YouTube, in line with the new system.

Park Jie-won, Supreme Council member and chair of the Democratic Party’s Special Committee on Responding to False and Manipulated Information, holds a press conference at the National Assembly Communication Center in Yeouido, Seoul, on October 23 last year, calling for cooperation in investigations related to Google’s "zombie channels" and stronger regulation of the YouTube platform. [Yonhap News] 

◇ Controversy over criteria for "false information"... Transparency and appeal procedures are key

However, confusion is expected in the early stages of implementation regarding the judging criteria and reporting processes of individual platforms.

This is because the review burden on platforms could increase significantly as the number of reported posts grows.

Furthermore, there are concerns that if the criteria for taking action are applied unclearly, it could lead to the chilling of freedom of expression or controversies over excessive removal of content.

Ultimately, the successful settlement of the system is expected to hinge on the specificity of each platform's self-regulatory policies, the accessibility of reporting channels, the transparency of action criteria, the guarantee of appeal procedures for content creators, and the effectiveness of transparency reports.

An official from the IT industry stated, "The definition of false and manipulated information remains somewhat ambiguous, and judgments may vary depending on the details of the reports and the quality of the supporting evidence provided."

Another official commented, "As we expect some growing pains in the early stages of operating the new system regarding what constitutes false information, we plan to monitor the situation closely and respond accordingly."