Morocco Proposes Law to Crack Down on Social Media Misinformation

The government has proposed a bill to punish the authors of false or misleading publications on social networks and instant messaging applications. The phenomenon is becoming more and more recurrent and is causing a lot of damage.

The proposed text, presented by the Minister of Justice, was examined by the Council of Government and will soon be submitted to Parliament. The media sector, governed by the Publishing and Press Code, is not covered by this new law, the objective of which is to establish an appropriate regulatory framework for an effective fight against the dissemination of fake news on social networks with appropriate sanctions.

The multiplication of the dissemination of fake news on social networks, particularly during this confinement period, in order to sow panic in the ranks of the population, has led to the examination of this bill. About twenty people have been arrested by the law enforcement services throughout the kingdom. The accused, for the most part, are unaware of the seriousness of their actions.

The provisions of the new law will apply to Internet users located on Moroccan territory and using social networks for the widespread voluntary dissemination of false information. While reaffirming the guarantee of freedom of expression, the new law will apply to ill-intentioned persons, for no one is presumed to be ignorant of the law.