The Chatbot is connected to the Telegram instant messaging application via the @chatbotantihoaks account.
"You can ask [questions] based on keywords or copy the article," said the ministry's Director General of Information Application Semuel A Pangerapan during the launch of the Chatbot application service in Jakarta on Friday.
The hoax clarification occurs via a chatbot from the ministry's AIS engine database.
This chatbot service can also be used later through the WhatsApp and Line applications, but the Ministry of Communication and Informatics has not been able to ascertain exactly when this will happen.
"The hope is that [it will happen] in a short time, if possible, in one to two weeks because this is just technical coordination," he said.
This chatbot service is intended specifically for internet users who often get information through short message services or forwarded messages.
Prosa CEO Teguh Eko Budiarto added that the startup was also developing services to verify photos, so that they were not limited to just text.
"I want it [to be in place by] this year," he said.
Previously, the ministry had collaborated with WhatsApp to limit the number of forwarded messages from 20 to five, as one part of the effort to fight hoaxes.
In addition, the ministry also continues to optimize the AIS engine that works 24 hours across seven days, and is supported by 100 members of the verification team.
The ministry's AIS Team was formed by the Minister of Communication and Informatics Rudiantara in January 2018 to conduct an inspection, verification and validation of all internet contents circulating in the Indonesian cyber space, including those on terrorism and radicalism, pornography, gambling and other negative content.
Translator: Eliswan Azly
Editor: Bambang Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
