NNA - Minister of Information, Paul Morcos, stated in an interview with "Sawt Kol Lebanon" with journalist Nada Saliba that the Ministry is undertaking a series of initiatives to promote more responsible discourse on social media platforms. He clarified that these efforts operate on multiple levels, excluding judicial prosecution, which falls under the authority of the judiciary and law enforcement, not the Ministry of Information.

The minister explained: "The first level is social and educational. We aim to engage social media users through awareness campaigns and outreach, emphasizing that these platforms are meant for interaction, not for insults, defamation, or violations of people’s dignity and rights. This is being done through videos produced in cooperation with international organizations such as UNESCO, the United Nations Development Programme, and production companies."

Minister Morcos added: "The second level is educational, involving coordination with relevant ministries, particularly the Ministry of Education. We recently held a meeting to launch initiatives aimed at training school pupils and university students on the proper and responsible use of technology and social media."

Morcos continued: "The third level concerns cases where expression exceeds the boundaries of freedom of opinion and becomes a legal violation, such as defamation, slander, or insult. In such cases, jurisdiction lies with the judiciary, specifically the Public Prosecution and law enforcement authorities, not the Ministry of Information."

He further noted: "The fourth level is legal. The Ministry has been closely involved in advancing the draft media law, pushing for its completion in parliamentary committees until it reached its final stages and became ready for approval by the General Assembly of Parliament. However, in line with the principle of separation of powers, the Parliament decided to refer it back for further review by a subcommittee. The draft law includes a dedicated chapter on regulating online platforms and specific provisions aimed at combating hate speech."