KUALA LUMPUR: Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil advises the public to seek updates solely from official media sources and the police regarding the recent shooting at a shopping mall in Setia Alam, Selangor.
He said this was to prevent the spread of false information, which could cause public alarm.
At the same time, he advised against believing everything seen on social media, especially in criminal cases.
"I would like to remind everyone to refer to official media such as Bernama (the Malaysian National News Agency) and RTM. Do not spread information as if you were present at the scene or investigating the case yourself.
"This leads to speculation and theories. What concerns me most is when such content or report is presented as if it were true,” he said, citing the recent case where a local influencer falsely claimed that his female friend had gone missing in an Indonesian forest.
Fahmi said this after launching the Silat Cekak Pusaka Hanafi 60th Anniversary Celebration at Wisma Radio RTM here on Sunday (Feb 9).
Bukit Aman Criminal Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain and Pewaris Mutlak Silat Cekak Pusaka Hanafi Dr Md Radzi Hanafi were also present.
On Saturday (Feb 8), it was reported that a shooting occurred at a shopping mall in Setia Alam at 10.50pm, injuring a cleaner.
Meanwhile, Fahmi said the Sebenarnya.my Chatbot, known as Artificial Intelligence Fact-check Assistant (Aifa), launched on Jan 28, has received a positive response from users.
He said the chatbot, led by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to counter misinformation and help users verify information online, had received 53,302 queries as of Thursday (Feb 6).
"Aifa processes an average of 5,330 queries daily, with many users seeking verification of news and information circulating on social media, especially WhatsApp,” he said.
Earlier in his speech, Fahmi invited silat associations nationwide to become strategic partners of the Communications Ministry in combating fake news and promoting online safety.
"MCMC is actively running online safety awareness campaigns. These associations can join us in outreach programmes at schools and universities to help students understand the importance of protecting themselves, both in the real world and online,” he added. – Bernama
