So what kind of measures are being taken around the world to curb the rise of "fake news"? French President Emmanuel Macron is also calling for fresh legislation. In his New Year speech, he said: "we will develop our legal system to protect democracy from this fake news".  Germany is one step ahead of France, and has already enforced its "Network Enforcement Law", and it essentially requires news platforms to remove "obviously illegal" content -- including hate speech and defamation --within 24 hours or face a very hefty fine.  In the United Kingdom, a new initiative to counter fake news was established last month. Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said a "dedicated national security communications unit" would be charged with "combating disinformation by state actors and others".