Hong Kong authorities will criminalise ‘fake news’ only as a last resort, city’s No 2 official says
- John Lee says government is instead eyeing approaches such as demanding publishers remove certain content, mark material as unverified
- Officials are reviewing the phenomenon of fake news, weighing how to tackle misinformation, doxxing and hate speech
Criminalisation will be a last resort for tackling “fake news” with alternative approaches such as demanding the removal of content and flagging contentious material taking priority, Hong Kong’s No 2 official has said.
Chief Secretary John Lee Ka-chiu backed a self-regulatory model or similar approaches adopted by several overseas governments as the Hong Kong administration worked on its own strategy for countering the spread of misinformation.
“There are two ways of [addressing fake news]. The first is through regulation. The second is through criminalisation,” Lee told public broadcaster RTHK in an interview to air on Wednesday night. “I personally think a regulatory approach should come first.”
He said legislation should only be introduced when such action was necessary and not be “pulled from thin air”.
“If the situation shows all walks of life exercise self-discipline or self-regulation with corresponding management and penalty systems, does society still need government regulation? It deserves further study,” he said.
Lee stressed the government’s strategy had not yet been finalised and legal studies into which one to pursue were ongoing.
The former security secretary stopped short of specifying what rules the administration had in mind but referred to some of the tactics adopted overseas including requiring publishers to clearly label unverified news as such or even ordering online content to be taken down.