The government on Tuesday laid out comprehensive anti-fraud measures aimed at tackling the sharp increase in fraud claims involving social media advertisements pretending to be from celebrities.
The measures call on social media operators to boost ad impressions to prevent fraudulent ads from being placed.
They also try to quickly remove existing fake ads.
At a meeting where the government outlined the measures, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told relevant Cabinet ministers to “take thorough measures with strong determination, including strongly encouraging private entrepreneurs to fulfill their social responsibilities.”
Specifically, the government will ask social media operators to establish and make public criteria for screening advertisements, and implement a stricter identification process for advertisement placers.
It will also push for social media operators, many of which are non-Japanese companies, to employ employees who understand Japanese and the culture well enough to help develop an effective screening system.
Social media operators will be asked to remove existing fake advertisements based on account information provided by investigating authorities and take other appropriate measures in accordance with their terms of use.
Last month, a team from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party prepared a proposal for the government on fraudulent online advertising featuring celebrities, calling on social media operators to tighten their ad displays.
An expert panel at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications is considering legislation that would require social media operators to establish and make public their criteria for screening advertisements. They are expected to prepare a related report as early as this summer.
