[The Editors' Verdict]There Is a Bigger Loophole Than Portals in Public Opinion Manipulation

The controversy over online manipulation of the men's soccer quarterfinal match between Korea and China at the Hangzhou Asian Games, operated by the portal site ‘Daum,’ is an issue that cannot be overlooked. The political circles suspected that this matter was a public opinion manipulation orchestrated by the Chinese side. The Korea Communications Commission estimated that the manipulation was carried out through overseas Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), but the origin of the manipulation could be China, North Korea, or possibly even domestic. No possibility should be excluded.

This issue can also be linked to the widespread concerns about fake news and fake images generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The shockwave of fake news, combining hacking, manipulation, and AI, is a social evil that cannot be ignored. The Ukraine war, escalating conflicts among the United States, China, and Russia, and the spread of anti-China alliances clearly fuel jealousy toward Korea, which is emerging as a global pivotal country in the new international order. This year, more than ever, we must be vigilant against fake news and public opinion manipulation coming from abroad. As our national power grows, attempts by external forces to expand their influence within our society may arise. They will try to spread news that suits their tastes and that they want to hear.

The harm caused by fake news is maximized during elections. Next year, there will be the Korean general election and the presidential elections in the United States and Mexico. The situation in Europe is already showing ‘red flags.’ There are concerns that Russia’s fake news operations to influence elections in Slovakia and Poland will be more rampant than ever. The possibility of China and Russia, who are in conflict with the United States, interfering in the U.S. presidential election is also greater than ever. Australia has already faced significant turmoil. The Australian Electoral Commission is currently fighting a war against fake news on X regarding a referendum to establish a constitutional body to guarantee the status and rights of Indigenous peoples. These fake news stories are spreading overseas and even damaging Australia’s national prestige.

We have already experienced the ‘Druking’ incident. Public opinion manipulation and fake news have already spread like a poisonous mushroom in our society. The ruling party and government have expressed their intention to strengthen management of portals in response to this incident, but they must not overlook an even greater risk factor: the distribution of fake news through various social networks (SNS), which are more difficult to manage than portals. The SNS ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) took the lead in blocking former President Donald Trump’s baseless claims during the 2020 U.S. presidential election, but the situation completely changed after Tesla CEO Elon Musk acquired it. Musk restored Trump’s account and disabled the function to report false information about elections. This is tantamount to laying the groundwork for fake news. Vera Jourova, the European Union (EU) Vice President for Values and Transparency, pointed out that X is the largest source of fake news and urged Musk to comply with regulations, but few believe that the ‘eccentric’ Musk will respond to such demands.

There can be no ruling or opposition party in responding to fake news, as pointed out by the Presidential Office and the government. Both the ruling and opposition parties can be victims. Companies and individuals can also easily become victims of fake news. This means it cannot be a subject of political strife.

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