Anti-Fake News Centre ‘must go’
The Move Forward Party (MFP) has vowed to disband the Anti-Fake News Centre after forming the next government.
In a Facebook post on Friday, the party said the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES) will be the primary target of an overhaul.
Restructuring will include disbanding the Anti-Fake News Centre, an agency under the DES Ministry, the party said in the post.
“It is not the duty of the state to tell what is true or not. It is its duty to allow all of society to scrutinise, debate and present versions of the truth, similar to Cofacts,” it said, referring to Taiwan’s citizen-driven fact-checking platform that aims to combat fake news.
“Under the MFP government, the DES Ministry will not have the task of blocking websites — it must contribute to rights and freedom,” it said. “Among the legislation being proposed by the MFP is a computer bill that aims to remove state powers that silence people.”
The party also pledged to push for a single digital identity policy to allow links with the databases of all state agencies. The move would make it easy for people to seek public services at state agencies, it said.
“[After forming a government,] we will see to it that separate databases of various agencies are combined in a single system to support this policy,” it said.
There is also a need to develop the country’s information technology infrastructure to boost economic growth, it said.
“A big database will be created to store information from state agencies and the private sector so people can access it and use it for economic and social benefits with safety standards designed to protect private information,” it said.
“Pushing for this information mega project requires legal and [technological] work,” it added.
The party also pledged to create an open system to disclose information about state procurement projects in formats easy to access and scrutinise.
Meetings held by state agencies would be broadcast live and recorded so people can monitor and track government officials, it said.
“Many may think that only A-list ministries with substantial budgets can play a key role in changing the country,” the party said in the post. “For the MFP, the DES Ministry will be the first piece of machinery that will reshape the country.”