KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 – The MADANI Community throughout the country has been urged to play a role in enhancing the people’s understanding of issues concerning online security.
In making the call, Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil said social media platforms like Telegram and WhatsApp were open to abuse by irresponsible parties, including for spreading fake news.
“Regarding the issue of news, if possible disseminate only authentic news. I know many here are on various platforms. Sometimes people share information which we cannot verify.
“I call for discipline among our friends in the MADANI Community so that we can help our community to verify information which reaches us,” he said at the Communications Minister’s Mandate and PEDi Briefing with the MADANI Community of the Federal Territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya on Tuesday.
He said due to various problems linked to social media like the copyright issue and online gambling, the Cabinet recently decided to establish a technical committee to study laws involving online security.
“We find that several platforms (social media) appear okay from the outside, no problems. But when we research and go deeper into them, these platforms are quite problematic,” he said, and cited the case of a local man selling videos of his performing sexual acts with more than 20 women of various races on social media.
Fahmi also reminded media practitioners to be more careful in writing news and not merely rely on information from sources.
