Spain's leftist government has announced a bill that would extend the obligation for digital platforms and social media influencers to publish corrections to their posts in a bid to fight disinformation.
The explosion of social media in recent years has allowed new actors to reach wider audiences, but has raised concerns about a lack of regulation and the spread of fake news.
The Ministry of Justice said in a statement that the bill replaces a 1984 law and targets internet users with 100,000 or more followers on a single platform or 200,000 or more followers on multiple platforms.
These news organizations and the platforms that host them must have mechanisms in place to promote the public's right to seek public correction of false or inaccurate information that causes harm to the public, the ministry said.
Justice Minister Félix Bolaños told a news conference that there would no longer be a need to address correction requests to the agency's director, as identification would be difficult for many “pseudo media”.
“We are making life even more difficult for those who are dedicated to lies and spread fake news every day. So this is good news for democracy,” Bolaños added.
Consumer rights group FACUA welcomed the announcement, saying it enabled people to “take steps to protect their reputations”.
The government has frequently criticized online platforms for spreading allegedly politically motivated “filth” targeting Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and his family.
The fight against disinformation is part of the government's “democratic renaissance” plan, which was launched earlier this year after a judge launched an investigation into allegations of corruption and influence misappropriation against Mr. Sánchez's wife, Begoña Gómez. did.
The far-right-affiliated group that filed the complaint admitted it was based on unconfirmed media reports.
The bill will need to go through a consultation stage before being tabled in parliament.
