The United States has raised objections to South Korea’s newly enacted legislation targeting false and manipulated content, cautioning that it may undermine technological collaboration and give the government overly broad censorship authority.
A senior U.S. diplomat has publicly criticized South Korea’s amendment to the Act on the Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, known as the ‘false or manipulated information eradication law.’
Sarah Rogers, the U.S. State Department’s Vice Minister for public diplomacy, said Tuesday that while Korea’s amendment to the telecommunications network law seems aimed at tackling defamatory deepfakes, its actual reach is far wider and may pose risks to technological cooperation.
“South Korea’s proposed amendment to its Network Act, ostensibly focused on redressing defamatory deepfakes, reaches much further—and endangers tech cooperation,” she wrote on X.
“Deepfakes are understandably concerning, but it’s better to give victims civil remedies than give regulators invasive license for viewpoint-based censorship,” she added.
South Korea’s National Assembly approved the amendment to the Information and Communications Network Act last week to curb the online dissemination of illegal and fabricated content that could incite violence or discrimination.
Washington’s swift response to legislation marks the first time the U.S. government has commented on the country’s domestic lawmaking.
The reaction reflects concerns that the law’s definition of ‘false or manipulated information’ is excessively broad and open to arbitrary enforcement, particularly since the measure also applies to U.S.-based online platforms.
Analysts note that this stance conflicts with Washington’s recent policy of resisting foreign regulations that could limit U.S. technology companies, warning that pressure on platforms such as YouTube, X, or Google to restrict content in Korea could effectively hamper their operations.
In a joint fact sheet issued in November after the Korea-U.S. summits on bilateral trade and security, both countries pledged to ensure that U.S. companies are not discriminated against and are not subject to unnecessary obstacles from laws or policies regulating digital services, including rules for online platforms.
IMEX SECTOR | Australia Disappointed by China’s New Beef Import Tariffs
