FAKE NEWS: SPOT IT AND STOP IT

IT is not far fetched for misinformation and disinformation to flourish during a period of conflict, but fake news isn’t only used to spread confusion, manipulate political sentiments, or spark controversy. Sometimes it’s used for more practical reasons, like stealing money from unsuspecting victims on the Internet.

Fake news and cyber crimes have more in common than you think, and that’s because they share a key component – social engineering.

MCMC has provided the platform sebenarnya.my so it’s easier for the public to check and verify the authenticity of any (viral) news story.

The portal is also used to disseminate information on potential crimes that can occur online through the “waspada” (beware) page.

According to MCMC network security division head Harme Mohamed, as of May 31 this year, “370 articles have been published on the site to relay information and warnings to the public to raise awareness against online criminal activities including fraudulent activities and attempted frauds.”

“We’ve also cooperated with Facebook, Google and Twitter in regulating illegal content in accordance with the terms, conditions and community standards of these platform providers based abroad.

“Fake news content involving Covid-19 will be evaluated for deletion by platform providers such as Facebook as it involves a public health emergency,” he said.

To curb the spread of fake news, digital citizens need to be proactive in spotting and stopping it.

“There are two scenarios when it comes to fake news. One is where a person is unsure of the veracity of the news and wants to find out by sharing and asking – in the process, unintentionally spread false information.

“Then there are those who create fake accounts to garner clicks and views. So they might not be malicious but by spreading fake news, they’re causing more harm than good,” he added.

To divert fake news and scams you should always draw your information from reliable sources; just because a friend of yours said something doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true.

If you are not sure of the authenticity of certain information, always do independent research using portals provided like sebenarnya.my, and be sceptical about shocking emotional news when following the story.