LettersStopping fake news starts with informed internet users

While social media companies shutting down accounts for spreading misinformation may act as a deterrent, stopping the chain of transmission of fake news at the user level might be more effective

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The Hong Kong government is believed to be working on a law to tackle fake news. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 6:00am, 13 Jul 2021Updated: 6:00am, 13 Jul 2021

I refer to David Hall’s letter: “Why Hong Kong’s fake news law should involve real caution” (June 29).

Given that the spread of online fake news is rife, some social media platforms have taken prompt action. This raises the cost of spreading fake news and has a deterrent effect on those that knowingly do so.

Nonetheless, in reality, given advances in technology, it remains challenging for officials to shut down all accounts that spread fake news since there are various types of social media platforms where people forward others’ opinions. People send and receive a wide range of news through social media platforms and instant messaging tools. All these offer fertile ground for the dissemination of fake news.

Meanwhile, shutting down accounts is merely a remedial measure as these accounts are taken down only when they are found to have repeatedly sent out fake news. Many people may have already seen the offending post sand forwarded them to others well before the accounts are banned, so the vicious cycle continues.

Netizens should cultivate the capacity to verify information to avoid forwarding any falsehoods. They should learn to recognise possible misinformation, verify the sources of information, identify arguable points and find alternative sources of evidence.

Most importantly, they must not help blindly spread rumours. When most social media users try to develop such abilities and be objective, they can learn to identify whether a piece of news is true or not in the long run.