Initiative aims to stop the spread of disinformation in the social media-obsessed country

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Indonesia’s communications ministry has announced plans to hold weekly briefings on fake news, in an effort to educate the public about the spread of disinformation in the world’s third-largest democracy.

Communications minister Rudiantara said the initiative was designed to help the Indonesian public “sort through the news” in the lead up to what is widely expected to be a heated presidential election scheduled for next April.

The initiative would be kicked off as soon as possible, said the minister, and fake news stories – known locally as “hoax” news or “black campaigns” – would be accompanied by factual explanations.

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“Every week we will announce hoax news,” Rudiantara told CNN Indonesia. “The ministry will not just stamp a story as hoax, but we will also provide facts.”

Urging Indonesians to refrain from spreading fake news on their social media accounts, Rudiantara said the exercise was part of the ministry’s push for ‘digital literacy’ in the political arena.

In Indonesia, which has one of the highest rates of Facebook and Twitter usage among its citizens, fake news is regularly spread on social networks to fan existing social, ethnic and religious divisions for political gain.

Analysts have expressed concern about the role fake news might play in the upcoming election, as well as the spread of hate speech.

Rudiantara said the weekly briefings were designed to encourage Indonesians to think more critically about the news they consume.

A specialised ministerial content control team, comprised of 70 people, will be tasked with identifying fake news stories.

In addition to the public briefings, information will also be posted on stophoax.id, a website designed by the ministry.

Days after the presidential campaign officially kicked off last week, with both pairs of candidates committing to a peaceful campaign and releasing symbolic white doves, a salacious website detailing the alleged affairs of one of the candidates appeared online.

The privately registered website has since been blocked by the communications ministry.