September 30, 2022
TOKYO – The Safer Internet Association, a Tokyo-based nonprofit organization, said Wednesday it will launch an organization Saturday that checks the authenticity of online information. Called the Japan Fact-check Center, the organization aims to prevent the spread of fake news and other false information.
With an editorial department consisting of former newspaper reporters and others, the center plans to produce articles on the authenticity of doubtful information circulating on social media. The center plans to release at least 10 such articles online monthly. News articles published in general newspapers, including The Yomiuri Shimbun, will be exempt from the center’s coverage.
The management committee, joined by university professors, will set the center’s operational guidelines and evaluate its activities, while the audit committee will confirm if its governance is appropriate.
Yahoo Japan Corp. will provide ¥20 million per year, while Google will contribute $1.5 million over two years to support the center’s activities.
Disinformation has become a social issue as stories overstating the danger of COVID-19 vaccines and uncertain information about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have spread online.