Japan: Opened consultation on report on ensuring the integrity of information distribution in digital spaces

On 20 July 2024, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) opened a public consultation on the draft report on ensuring the integrity of information distribution in digital spaces until 20 August 2024. The report presents the current regulatory frameworks and the voluntary measures implemented by platforms and challenges related to information circulation in the digital space, with a focus on the roles and responsibilities expected of various stakeholders in the processes of "publication", "transmission", and "reception" of information. The report outlines the principles and actions necessary to ensure healthy information flow in digital spaces by addressing superficial, structural, and accelerating risks, including those from new technologies such as generative AI. It emphasises that technological fixes and user awareness alone are insufficient, advocating for the creation of social rules and a comprehensive approach involving multiple stakeholders. This approach includes raising awareness, improving literacy, securing human resources, promoting fact-checking, advancing research, fostering international cooperation, and implementing institutional measures.