THE rampant circulation of fake news on social media has been one of the most pressing issues faced by the governments around the world in this modern era, where a myriad of tools are being deployed to keep news in check and to ensure the public would be informed about the accurate version of stories.
Without such fact-checking mechanism in place, the widespread of distorted and malicious news would have caused irreversible reverberations in society, which could reach to the extent of destabilising a country.
Thus, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) has been appointed the legal guardian, tasked with keeping fake news at bay through the regulation of the converging communications and multimedia industry in the country.
According to Communications and Multimedia Minister Tan Sri Annuar Musa, the government has introduced multiple initiatives to ensure that Malaysians would be informed on the accurate version of information, and one of these initiatives is a fact-checking website, sebenarnya.my, which was launched in 2017.
Administered by the MCMC, the portal is meant to serve as a reliable channel for the public to verify information as Malaysia, too, has been a victim of increased misinformation and disinformation campaigns.
A major example of fake news running amok across the online sphere were those circulating during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic – they ranged from discouraging the public to get vaccinated, to various unproven medical remedies to help a patient recover from the contagious viral infection.
In this respect, sebenarnya.my was set up as ‘the go-to portal’ for the public to verify the news first before sharing any of them with their loved ones, as well as to report the fake news that they discovered to the agency for further action.
With its tagline ‘Tidak Pasti Jangan Kongsi’ (If Unsure, Don’t Share), the website is organised into different sections, covering different types of fake news concerning various sectors of the country.
There are six categories under the ‘National’ tab: natural disasters, economy, security, education, transportation and administration.
Under the ‘Social’ tab, there are categories of crimes, health and consumerism.
The website’s user interface is designed to be public-user-friendly, and a screenshot of the fake news concerned would be published together with a small description containing clarifications from the relevant authorities.
It is said that the most recent fake news were reported on sebenarnya.my in June this year, about the organisation of a ‘Hot Air Balloon Putrajaya Festival’ and also the chance to win RM6,000 by participating in a questionnaire issued in connection with Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB)’s 137th anniversary celebration.
As for impersonating government agencies to dupe unaware individuals into applying for fake job vacancies or joining some bogus investment schemes, the website has highlighted a scam that had people impersonating as officers from Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), an agency under Ministry of Communications and Multimedia Malaysia.
Another scam involved individuals impersonating MCMC officers, who accused the victims of involvement in criminal activities.
The sebenarnya.my portal also cautions the public about the various tactics used by scammers in relation to the Employee Provident Fund (EPF)’s special withdrawals – ranging from using fake EPF email to inform the status of the special withdrawal applications, to making a claim about having third-party agents out to provide assistance in the application process.
A special tab has been set up on the website to specifically highlight fake news related to Covid-19, recognising the critical duty of the government agency to be on the front foot in combating such fake news.
One of the highlighted fake news was about the removal of the digital certificate for vaccination if an individual refused to take a booster jab. The news was inaccurate because the certificate would only display an ‘incomplete vaccination status’, and would not be removed completely.
There was also an inaccurate information about a teenager who died after having been administered with a Covid-19 booster shot, which came out in February this year. The Health Department had since clarified that the teenager’s death was due to pneumonia and congenital heart disease.
It also pointed out that the teenager did not receive the booster dose, as claimed in the news.
A police report had been made to investigate the matter.
Aside from being an avenue for the public to verify their news, the website also serves as an educational platform for the society to be equipped with the necessary knowledge to be a responsible netizen when using the online media.
Under the ‘Info’ tab, there are useful information in the forms of news clippings to keep the public updated on the ethnics when using social media, including ‘Do you Know How to Handle Fake News?’, ‘Ways to Handle Troll’, ‘Avoiding Manipulating Sensitive Issue’ and ‘Monitoring Children Usage of Internet’.
For those seeking to support the government’s efforts in combating fake news that affect public interest or the country, they can visit the website and click the ‘SALURKAN KEPADA KAMI’ (Channel to Us) tab to share/tip-off on any unverified or fake news shared in social media.
Public will have to provide information such as the website link or news content that contain inaccurate information and the source of the news.
Alternatively, complaints regarding the multimedia sector can be made by visiting
https://aduan.skmm.gov.my/, contacting hotline at 1-800-188-030. WhatsApp to 016-220-6262 or email to aduanskmm@mcmc.gov.my.
No doubt, an effective first-line-of-defence against stopping the circulation of fake news is through private-public partnership, where government agencies work in hand-in-hand with corporate bodies and the community to contain the menace of fake news in the shortest time possible.