Fake news on Indonesia election spreading as govt asks Facebook to take down over 450 ‘hoaxes’

Workers arranging ballot boxes at a warehouse of Indonesia's General Elections Commission in Yogyakarta on Nov 3. - PHOTO: AFP

JAKARTA: Election fever is just heating up in Indonesia but fake news on the polls has begun to spread, leading the government to release multiple clarifications and request that Facebook take down more than 450 pieces of disinformation.

The Sunday Times found that since registration for the nation’s top two spots opened on Oct 19, the Ministry of Communications and Informatics has added at least 15 election-related posts to its website to clarify pieces of fake news, better known in Indonesia as “hoaxes”.