France Policies Affecting Disinformation

From ADTAC Disinformation Inventory

Legislation

Disinformation and political advertising are highly regulated in France. French defamation laws make the publication or dissemination of fabricated information attributed to a third party illegal. Paid political advertising is prohibited at least six months before an election.[1] Under the Proposition de loi nº 799 relative à la lutte contre les fausses informations, judges can order for the immediate removal of “fake news” during ongoing election campaigns, and political parties can also appeal for judges to take down content three months before an election.[2]

A law adopted in December 2018, requires transparency in online advertising and creates a new legal method for countering the dissemination of fake news during an election period. The law also gives more authority to France’s main broadcasting regulatory agency to prevent the spread of false information, especially when the information is sourced from a foreign government.[3]

Other actions related to disinformation

The Avia law which was meant to target online hate speech was ruled unconstitutional in 2020.[4]

Media literacy is in included public school curriculums.[5]

There have been some criticisms of France's law regulating media surrounding political campaigns as censoring the press.[6]

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National Policies Affecting Disinformation