PETALING JAYA: The government's rapid response troop (PRP) has effectively shot down 205 fake news items over the last four weeks, says Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah (pic).
The Communications and Multimedia Minister said their mission was to monitor and quickly counter fake news that could cause public distress.
He said the PKP would remain activated for as long as the movement control order (MCO) was enforced in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
"PRP focuses on countering unverified information after seeking explanation from parties concerned," he said in a statement.
PRP was set up on March 24 to counter fake news pertaining to the MCO, Bantuan Prihatin Nasional (BPN), Welfare Department aid, and other hotly debated topics in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The National Security Council assists the PRP, which comprises personnel from the departments and agencies under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry.
"We call upon Malaysians to verify the authenticity of information before forwarding to others.
"They can go to sebenarnya.my portal (https://sebenarnya.my/) to verify information before sharing with others," he said.
Saifuddin also advised people to remain at home and observe the '1m apart' social distancing guideline to help break the chain of Covid-19 transmission.
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