2024-02-13 20:33:51
Through the Law on Electronic Communications PP-DB will fight “troll farms” and false advertisements for medicines
Changes to the Law on Electronic Communications are proposed by PP-DB in the fight against disinformation, as their main goal is to fight the so-called “troll farms” and fake commercials. With the transitional and final provisions of, however, corrections are made to several more laws, among them the one on electronic commerce, on the Social Security Administration and the Electoral Code.
The Minister of e-Government will have to publish an annual report on the systemic risks of online disinformation and measures to limit it.
Major online platforms and search engines will not be able to enforce the use of a browser other than the user’s default browser. If an online advertising service provider violates the law 10 times and does not take action, the CPC will suspend access to the service for up to 30 days.
The article for the prohibition of anonymous information is added to the Electoral Code. “Very large online platforms using content recommendation systems are required to implement measures to identify a high risk of coordinated groups of inauthentic user profiles,” PP-DB insists.
A definition of “inauthentic user profile” is introduced – it is not of a real person (does not apply to parody profiles or those with artistic pseudonyms), is registered or managed by automated means or “publishes content as a result of the order of a third party against payment or as part of an employment relationship, with the exception of cases of provision of services”.
Online platforms must monitor and penalize according to the relevant EU directives foreign profile pictures and unusually rapid increase of friend circle or entry into many groups immediately after initial registration. It is intended to “identify groups of users who coordinately report against content on the platform and groups of users”. There will be checks for users who coordinately publish the same content from newly created pages or those with addresses similar to already popular ones.
DANS will monitor whether social networks act against trolls, platforms with more than 2 million Bulgarian users will be of strategic importance. Online operators who jeopardized the election process will be fined between BGN 50,000 and BGN 5 million.
Defense Minister Todor Tagarev was the first to make an announcement about the upcoming regulations. Late last year, he announced that the spread of disinformation and propaganda is a key element of the Kremlin’s hybrid war against countries in our region and us, and demanded restrictions. After that, Prime Minister Academician Nikolay Denkov hinted at legislative changes in this direction.
PP-DB have also issued fines for persons who use without permission the names of specialists to advertise nutritional supplements. The first fine is from 1,000 to 2,000 BGN or a property sanction from 2,000 to 4,000 BGN, for the second – from 4,000 to 15,000 BGN. If there are more than 10 reports in a year, access to the site will be suspended for up to 30 days.
Member of Parliament and former Minister of e-Government Bozhidar Bojanov is responsible for gathering opinions on the draft law.
The coalition assures that the amendments will not limit freedom of expression. According to them, the measures are not aimed at specific content uploaded to the Internet, but at the mechanisms for its distribution. There will be no general monitoring of Internet content, they assure.