One to be charged over fake fuel price news, five to be compounded, says Fahmi

One to be charged over fake fuel price news, five to be compounded, says Fahmi

KUALA LUMPUR: One individual will be charged at the Sepang Sessions Court over the dissemination of fake news related to fuel price increases following the crisis in the Middle East, while five others will be compounded, says Communications Minister Datuk Fahmi Fadzil.

He said this when appearing on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme titled “Tabayyun Dalam Krisis: Menangani Maklumat, Menjamin Kestabilan”, which was broadcast live on RTM TV2 and TV Al-Hijrah tonight.

Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Religious Affairs) Dr Zulkifli Hasan was also a guest on the programme.

Fahmi said the decision to charge the individual was made by the Attorney-General’s Chambers after reviewing 12 investigation papers submitted by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), while four other cases resulted in warning letters.

He said further details on the enforcement actions would be announced by the MCMC.

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“Since March 29, the MCMC has detected 441 pieces of content identified as fake news, all of which are in the process of being taken down.

“The majority involve false claims related to the global energy crisis, including misinformation on fuel price increases such as diesel, RON95 and RON97,” he said.

He added that among the false claims was an allegation that the Malaysian government had paid tolls to Iran to release ships, which accounted for 147 pieces of misleading content, despite being denied by the government and other parties.

Fahmi also expressed concern over tactics by irresponsible parties who mimic the style and format of mainstream media reports to mislead the public.

He said logos and layouts resembling outlets such as Sinar Harian, Astro Awani and TV3 had been used to make false content appear authentic.

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He advised the public to verify the authenticity of any information before sharing it on social media.

Meanwhile, Zulkifli said it was important for society, especially Muslims, to practise the concept of tabayyun before disseminating information in order to avoid public confusion and panic.

“Tabayyun means we must verify information thoroughly rather than simply accepting and sharing it,” he said.

He added that key principles of tabayyun included delaying the spread of news until its authenticity was confirmed and refraining from making hasty judgments on those involved.

He said the ministry would continue to strengthen the practice of tabayyun through cooperation with the Communications Ministry, including briefings for religious scholars, imams and asatizah to help disseminate accurate information.