French president wants to be able to block fake news sites during elections

French President Emmanuel Macron will soon introduce a bill to curb fake news. Part of this is an emergency measure during elections that will allow authorities to remove content from sites or block the sites altogether.

Macron announced the proposal during his New Year’s speech to journalists, writes The Guardian. According to him, the measures are necessary to protect democracy.

Also part of the bill is that websites must be transparent about who finances them and there will be a maximum amount that they can receive for sponsored content. In addition, the media regulator will be given the power to act against attempts by TV stations to destabilize the country under the influence of other powers. Details about the proposal are not yet available.

Macron himself had to contend with fake news during last year’s elections. Fake reports appeared online about offshore accounts in the Bahamas that could be traced back to Macron. Macron further accused Russian media RT and Sputnik of misleading propaganda.