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Proposed French Law Against Fake News Not Targeting Opposition – Gov't

© Sputnik / Irina Kalashnikova / Go to the mediabankGuards of honor at the Elysee Palace, Paris
Guards of honor at the Elysee Palace, Paris - Sputnik International
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A bill on preventing the spread of fake news on the Internet, that French President Emmanuel Macron is willing to introduce, does not seek to "to silence the opposition and critics," French government spokesman Benjamin Griveaux said Thursday.

"There is no question of putting an end to the freedom of press, freedom of speech, silencing the opposition and critics… There is a lot of false information in social networks. Out of 30 most cited online publications of the Liberation newspaper, more than 20 turned out to be false," Griveaux said, as aired by the BFMTV broadcaster.

French President Emmanuel Macron walks back to his office after a meeting with guests at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, August 31, 2017 - Sputnik International
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The bill proposed by the French president was strongly criticized by France’s right-wing National Front party leader Marine Le Pen, who accused the government of attempting to control the freedom of speech on the Internet and silencing French citizens. The politician also questioned the procedure of identifying whether the information was true or false.

READ MORE: 'French Gambit': France Comes Up With Plan to Stop Phone Trafficking in Jails

On Wednesday, Macron said that he would like to have a new law on social media, as a precaution against fake news on the Internet. He added that the bill, aimed at the fight against the spread of false information during election campaigns, would be drafted within the next few weeks.

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