en.Wedoany.com Reported - The revised Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, which took effect on the 7th of this month, stipulates that the government will no longer directly determine whether online information is false. Instead, private platforms such as Naver, Kakao, and Google will make their own judgments and may entrust external verification to the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN).

The IFCN is a global fact-checking organization established in 2015 by the U.S. news research and education institution Pointer. It tracks global fact-checking trends and holds annual international conferences. Currently, over 160 fact-checking organizations, including The Washington Post in the United States, have received IFCN certification.

According to the information and communication technology (ICT) industry, two institutions in South Korea have obtained IFCN certification: the comprehensive programming channel JTBC and the online economic media outlet Newstop. JTBC became the first media outlet in South Korea to receive IFCN certification in January 2020, while Newstop obtained certification in 2023. Under the revised law, JTBC will be responsible for verifying the authenticity of posts published by domestic platforms, media outlets, and influencers such as YouTube bloggers.

A relevant official from the Korea Communications Commission stated that JTBC is currently a fact-checking institution, but various organizations, including media outlets, will apply for additional certifications in the future. In fact, TV Chosun applied for IFCN certification in April this year to initiate international verification of truthfulness credibility. The citizen-participatory platform "Patti" has also submitted an application.

An official from the Korea Communications Commission visiting the United States pointed out that domestic media and civic groups with fact-checking teams are actively preparing to apply for IFCN certification to collaborate with global platforms. However, the IFCN is not a government-designated institution under the law.

Global tech companies such as Google and Meta have stated that when filtering false information on their platforms, they will not conduct self-censorship but will rely on the judgments of trusted institutions like the IFCN. Therefore, the credibility of organizations such as the IFCN is expected to further improve.