As the elections draw closer, Minister of Communication and Information technology, Rudiantara, said that there is an increase in the number of hoax or false news circulating on social media. “We found 175 hoaxes in January. The number has increased to 353 false news stories in February alone,” Rudiantara reported.
The minister also stated that 23 per cent of the 353 hoaxes found were related to political issues, particularly regarding the upcoming presidential election. Other hoax news included issues about governance and health. Rudiantara shared his concerns and said that he plans to establish workshops about information literacy in an attempt to eradicate hoax news.
The National Police are currently mapping and shutting down accounts known to spread hoaxes on social media. A cyber patrol team has been deployed by the ministry to verify accounts violating the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law. Rudiantara also expressed his gratitude to media outlets and staff who have tried their utmost to tackle hoax news. “I thank the media and their staff who continue to preach good use of social media, promote information literacy, and online etiquette,” he concluded.
Source: Tempo
Image: Berita Tagar