The National Police have urged the public to stop sharing unverified information about riots in Papua.
Accounts associated with spreading hoaxes are currently being investigated by the authorities.
According to national police spokesman Brigadier General Dedi Prasetyo, a YouTube channel and a Facebook page which are known to have posted provocative content are currently being investigated.
“We’re currently profiling [the social media pages]. Although they have deleted their videos, the [National Police’s] Cyber Directorate is still able to investigate their digital footprints,” Dedi added.
So far, the police are still unable to confirm whether or not the Facebook and YouTube accounts are related to each other, or managed by the same administrators. They are yet to disclose the names of the accounts.
Violent riots occurred in Manokwari, West Papua, to protest about the alleged discrimination which took place in a Papuan student dormitory in Surabaya, East Java. The Papuans in Surabaya have reportedly been accused of not celebrating National Independence Day on 17th August. Internet access in Papua have also been limited by the government to avoid the spread of misinformation.
Source: The Jakarta Post
Image: Wionews