"'Wuhan Pneumonia' SNS Rumors Must Be Filtered" KCSC Requests Cooperation from Google and Twitter

KCSC to Meet Google and Twitter Korea on 5th
Hold Practical Meeting on International Cooperation for Self-Regulation of Overseas Operators
Request Review of Violations of Guidelines on Safety and Social Unrest Information
Encourage Self-Regulation of Overseas Operators Beyond Korean Legal Reach

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] "The first death has occurred," "An infected person is on the run," "You get infected if you eat Chinese-made kimchi."

On the 5th, the Korea Communications Standards Commission (KCSC) plans to meet with Google Korea, Twitter Korea, and others to request prevention of the spread of fake news about the novel coronavirus infection (Wuhan pneumonia) and to encourage self-regulation.

Since false and fabricated information is still circulating on global platforms such as YouTube and Twitter, the intention is to have operators filter out rumors and falsehoods primarily through their own guidelines.

According to the industry and KCSC on the 5th, the KCSC will hold a 'Meeting on Requests for Overseas Operators' Self-Regulation and International Cooperation' on this day. Attendees include KCSC as well as Google Korea and Twitter Korea, which operate YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and others.

At this meeting, the KCSC is expected to mention the application of guidelines on false and fabricated information about the novel coronavirus that has been spreading mainly through overseas content providers (CPs) such as YouTube and Twitter. A KCSC official explained, "There will be guidelines held by overseas operators regarding information that could harm the life, health, and safety of the public or cause social unrest and confusion, and we plan to request that they actively review information that may violate those guidelines."

In fact, 'novel coronavirus rumors' are concentrated more on overseas platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter than on domestic platforms such as Naver, Daum, and Kakao. Since overseas operators are in a regulatory blind spot compared to domestic operators, even if false and fabricated information is reported, it is difficult to proceed to deletion measures. In 2017 and 2018, Tumblr and YouTube respectively refused the KCSC's content deletion orders regarding obscene materials and distortion of the May 18 Gwangju Democratization Movement information, citing 'freedom of expression.'

Inside and outside the industry, the willingness of overseas operators such as Google and Twitter is seen as important. Park Kwang-on, a member of the Democratic Party of Korea and chair of the Special Committee on Countermeasures against False and Fabricated Information, pointed out, "The problem is that global platform operators like YouTube are in a domestic legal blind spot," adding, "Since false and fabricated information is being produced and distributed very maliciously, active responses from overseas operators are necessary."

Meanwhile, overseas platform companies state that they are making efforts to block false and fabricated information about the novel coronavirus. Twitter displays a page at the top when searching for 'coronavirus' that links to the official account and website of the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. YouTube exposes content featuring news media or experts in the search results when searching for coronavirus.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.