"The Inter American Press Association (SIP) expressed its concern about the decision of the Government of Chile to create an official commission to combat disinformation, warning it 'could fall into the temptation of establishing censorship mechanisms.' On June 20, the Official Gazette published the decree to create an Advisory Commission against Disinformation within the Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge, and Innovation. Its objective will be to advise the General Secretariat of Government (Segegob) on disinformation and democratic quality, digital literacy, disinformation on digital platforms, and good digital practices. It will also make recommendations on public policies.
The president of the IAPA, Michael Greenspon, expressed: 'Beyond how laudable the objectives may seem, there should be precaution when governments get directly involved in analyzing information, expression, media or journalism issues. [...] Commissions, observatories or other forms of government surveillance tend to look at reality through ideological lenses, advising discriminatory public policies with adverse effects on the freedom of expression and of the press.'
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IAPA authorities said that to combat disinformation, the Chilean government should encourage measures to support journalism, the media, academia, and civil society organizations but not get directly involved in solutions."
