International practices in the legal approach of online disinformation in internet and online media regulation

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the options for action against disinformation, using examples of some initiatives of the European Union and the United Nations and policy approaches in three non-EU countries, which vary in the degree of intervention. There are serious dilemmas for public regulators in balancing the interests of freedom of expression and freedom of the press as a fundamental human right, the largely self-regulatory content filtering or limited responsibility for content by online media as economic enterprises, and the potential targets and victims of online disinformation. A sustainable solution can be found in a matrix of international conventions, national regulatory frameworks, online media and press freedom, freedom of expression, where the responsibility is shared between the state, the media and tech sector and the content-consuming citizen.