Fake news: Kit Siang agrees with Salleh

After a period of trading barbs, Lim Kit Siang has now found one issue which he and Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak can agree on – fake news.

Tweeting his response to the minister's call on Malaysians to defend the nation from false news, the DAP veteran said: “Only time so far I agree with Salleh.”

However, the Gelang Patah MP added a caveat.

“I oppose all fake news, whether against DAP and Pakatan Harapan or Umno/BN leaders.

“Will Salleh/MCMC (Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commision) oppose all fake news, even those against DAP/Harapan leaders?” he asked.

Lim has been accusing Umno leaders and those linked to them of spreading false claims regarding DAP and him, with the latest being the accusation that Dr Mahathir Mohamad had given him RM1 billion.

Both Mahathir and Lim have denied this.

MCMC acting on fake accounts

In a blog posting this afternoon, Salleh revealed that MCMC had taken action against 3,047 fake accounts on various social media platforms identified between January and September this year.

He said almost 80 percent of the 3,047 fake accounts have been deleted by social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter for violating the terms and conditions set by the respective providers.

Salleh noted that even Internet giants like Facebook, Twitter, and Google China's Baidu Inc were cooperating with the government as they are constantly pressured to improve on their algorithms by using a combination of technology and content authorisation to minimise fake news.

“All Malaysians are responsible to help defend Malaysia from fake news/accounts which have bad intent, defamatory or seditious in nature. Respect for our diversity and harmony must be strengthened as a Malaysian way of life.

“It is time we make full use of initiatives like sebenarnya.my portal and make it a habit to check the authenticity of the news first before sharing it with others,” he said.

Salleh called on those who come across suspected fake accounts, fake news or information to use the “report” facility provided by the relevant social media concerned so that the action can be taken as soon as practicable.

Apart from this, he said such matters can also be reported to the MCMC.- Mkini