Thailand to set up fact-checking centre to combat fake news

The ministry said the centre, comprising four sub-committees, will open soon. The four sub-committees will work on fact-checking in issues including natural disasters, economic issues, government policies, social order and national security, among others.

Minister of Digital Economy and Society Buddhipongse Punnakanta said that fact-checking is important as false news can create huge impacts on the safety of people's lives and property.

He added that he will meet digital platform providers to seek their cooperation in order to set clear guidelines and standards for the fact-checking centre.

On August 19, Thailand proposed that tech companies set up centres in each of the 10 ASEAN countries to curb the flow of “fake news” and fake accounts, said secretary-general of Thailand’s National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission Takorn Tantasith.

The Thai official said such centres would also work as a shortcut for governments to flag misinformation more easily to providers of digital service done through the internet, so that they could comply by taking it down faster.

Other Southeast Asian governments have also recently made efforts to exert more control over online content and taken a tough stance against misinformation.

Singapore passed an anti-fake news bill in May, forcing online media platforms to correct or remove content the government considers to be false.