- Sebenarnya.my launched for public to check and report unauthenticated news items
- Part of the government’s efforts to combat the spread of false news
- MCMC has identified close to 1,000 false news items of public interest being spread in the country
Cyberjaya, March 14, 2017: It was probably only a matter of time.
Fake news has been the scrouge of the Internet and short messaging services for some time now, and Malaysia is no exception.
The country has seen its fair share of false news going viral and, in some instances, causing panic, dissatisfaction, slander and unnecessary provocation.
Not really amused with what has been going on, the Government believes that the spreading of fake news must be checked, and this is how sebenarnya.my, which carries the tagline Tak Pasti, Jangan Kongsi (Don’t share if it’s unverified) was born.
The Communications and Multimedia Ministry, in colloboration with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) today launched the information verification portal as a platform for the public to verify false news.
The New Straits Times reported that users can check and report news items which have not been authenticated, either through social media, short messaging services, blogs or websites; so that it can be verified by official channels or relevant government agencies.
Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak said the portal is part of the government’s efforts to combat the spread of false news which are becoming rampant lately.
“The digital era society of today spends more than three hours to surf internet to obtain news and information,” the NST quoted him as saying after launching the portal at MCMC, here, today.
“However, many fake news have become viral on the social media platform such as Facebook and WhatsApp, and some internet users take it literally and simply share them without verifying.
He said false news can jeopardise the national harmony and security as it can sabotage the economy and create chaos among society.
Bernama, meanwhile, quoted Salleh as saying that the MCMC had, until now, identified close to 1,000 false news items of public interest being spread in the country.
