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PETALING JAYA: Misinformation related to government administration tops the list of several fake news stories identified and addressed by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC).
Through its Sebenarnya.my portal which tracks fake news discredited since 2017, data shows that 37% of fake news was related to governance.
“This includes false claims from ministries or agency programs, such as Sara Hidup Aid (BSH) and National Prihatin Aid (BPN).
“Others are related to leaks of government documents and the impersonation of ministers, ministries or agencies through fake accounts on social networks,” an MCMC spokesperson said in an interview.
Crime-related news, he said, accounted for 14% of false news, such as those related to scams or fraudulent activities, kidnapping and human organ trafficking.
“Another 14% of the fake news was health related, such as false claims related to the Covid-19 pandemic and other outbreaks such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and the influenza A (H1N1) virus.
“Consumer problems accounted for 13% of fake news, including related to the halal status of products, food contamination, unregistered products, and uncertified cosmetics.
“Nine percent of fake news is related to security, such as complaints of illegal immigrants entering across national borders and the implementation of the movement control order,” he said.
Developed by MCMC, the Sebenarnya.my portal is for the public to verify the authenticity of news spread through social websites, curb the spread of fake news, and make sure they received genuine news.
Related information is collected, analyzed, validated, and uploaded to the portal for public reference.
The portal has identified and discredited tens of thousands of false news of public interest that are disseminated in the country.
“The portal focuses on local news or topics of public interest that can be verified through the official channels of government agencies.
“It is based solely on the official verification or refutation made by the respective authorized bodies within their jurisdiction,” he said.
In a climate where sharing fake news has become commonplace, he said it was important to rely on trustworthy and determined fact-checking services to sift through information, which is where Sebenarnya.my comes in.
“The portal registered more than 203 million visits since it was created in March 2017, with an average of 4.8 million visits per month.
“It has also received more than 11,000 notices from the public about suspicious information or news that has not been verified.
“This shows that the public is now more sensitive and aware of the risk of fake news,” he said.
Asking people to be more than informed, he said they should also “be vigilant” to verify information before posting it on social media.
“User empowerment and advocacy are key to raising public awareness of fake news, as well as cultivating the practice of checking and verifying news,” he said.
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