20 United States member countries, including France, Britain and India, signed an agreement at the United Nations headquarters on Thursday that aims to stop the spread of fake news online.

The signatories, which also included South Africa and Canada, committed to promoting "independently reported, diverse and reliable" information on the internet, under an accord initiated by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a press freedom watchdog.

"The emergence of a global digital space is shaking up the world of information, bringing with it progress as well as risks," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.

He added on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York that misinformation online, especially during election campaigns, "undermined trust in democratic institutions."

The agreement underlines the responsibility of internet providers to promote trustworthy content and pluralism to escape the current "information chaos," RSF said in a statement.

Last week, Twitter shut down thousands of accounts worldwide for spreading misinformation.