AI portal to take on scammers

Informing the masses: Fahmi (third from right) officiating the Jom Baca Bersama 10 Minit programme at the Communications Ministry. He is flanked by Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching and the ministry’s secretary-general, Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa. — Bernama

PUTRAJAYA: A portal using artificial intelligence (AI) will be created to help people verify the information they receive, repel defamatory news and fight fraud or scams, says Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.

The portal, he said, would be expanded from the special segment Biar Betul! that is broadcast on RTM, as the segment – which is less than a minute long – was insufficient and needed to be revved up to deal with the issue, Bernama reported.

“It is still in the early stages but there is a need so that people in general do not have to doubt the material they read. If there is any doubt, they can refer (to the portal).

“Today we can watch Biar Betul! on various platforms including on RTM where scam material and fake and defamatory content are exposed every day, but we see that it is not enough and needs to be improved,” he said after launching the Jom Baca Bersama 10 Minit programme at the Communications Ministry here yesterday.

According to Fahmi, the new platform will strengthen the capabilities of existing platforms such as Sebenarnya.my under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and MyCheck.my managed by the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), as well as Biar Betul!, to make it easier for people to search for and verify any information they receive.

Fahmi said the ministry will also work with social media platforms so that information received by users goes through a process as practised on the X platform (formerly Twitter) that allows users to attach “Community Notes” to a post.

In addition, a total of 1,878 “Madani communities” across the country can also be used as Biar Betul! agents as the front line to fend off defamation, correct perceptions and check facts with the ministry to ensure that the delivery of information to the community is done more clearly and in an organised manner, he added.

Fahmi said the matter is being taken seriously since MCMC information showed that almost 80% of the content downloaded until April was of a scam nature, including advertising fraud and online gambling.

Earlier, in his speech, he said the theme of the Jom Baca Bersama 10 Minit programme, “Reading Preserves Unity”, is very much in line with the Madani concept that reflects the emphasis on building a civilised society, giving each other insight and fostering unity.

Organised jointly by the Communications Ministry’s Resource Centre and the Information Department’s Resource and Photo Centre, the programme was held in conjunction with World Book and Copyright Day, celebrated worldwide on April 23 every year.

Also helping to make the programme a success are the Bernama Information and Library Centre, the Resource Centre of the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas), the RTM Library, and the Tun Abdul Razak Institute of Broadcasting and Information.