Malign actors ranging from authoritarian states to extremist groups have been spreading “fake news” since long before the term was coined. The rise of social media has increased exponentially the speed and impact with which untruths can be disseminated. Yet plans like those unveiled by Singapore to impose direct penalties on purveyors of fake news are disturbing. Top-down approaches risk being abused and turning into censorship. The best way to tackle fake news is to teach consumers to identify and reject it.
早在“假新聞”這個詞被創造出來以前,從專制國家到極端主義組織等各種作惡者就已經在散播假消息了。社交媒體的興起使虛假信息傳播的速度和影響力呈指數增長。然而,像新加坡公布的對假新聞散播者予以直接處罰那樣的計劃令人感到不安。自上而下的處理方式可能遭到濫用,轉變為審查制度。應對假新聞的最好辦法是教消費者甄別和拒絕假新聞。