According to IT Specialist of Semarang-based Dian Nuswantoro University Solichul Huda here on Friday, there were around 100 fake news articles on the vote counting that had been circulated on various social media platforms from Wednesday to early Thursday.
The fake information and rumors were read and seen by several hundred thousand social media users in the country, he said, adding that the government should have an anti-hoax crisis center for fact-checking fake news and rumors.
Besides fact checking , he also suggested that a digital forensic investigation was needed to uncover the truth behind the content, such as a quick count displayed on a television station on Wednesday, he said.
Fake news broadcast on a TV station had been watched by around 800,000 social media users.
The antihoax crisis center could also conduct a regular cyber patrol to anticipate and address fake news, he said.
Prior to and during the campaign trail period of this year's general elections, the proliferation of fake news, hate speeches, and slander across social media platforms had also become a serious problem.
Being aware of the danger of proliferated fake news, hate speeches, and slander, Indonesia's cyber communities, including bloggers, vloggers, YouTubers, and content creators met in Jakarta on March 21.
They had declared a movement calling for posting prayers across a variety of social media platforms, Chairman of the event's organizing committee Hafyz Marshal said in a press statement that Antara received.
Zulfikar Akbar, a social media influencer who attended the meeting, called on community members to exercise critical thinking to suppress political conversations on various issues that could disrupt the nation's unity.
"Political conversations are prone to hoaxes. Hence, please be cautious every time you receive political news. Make sure that your alarm of cautiousness is always on, and do not get accustomed to taking whatever is going viral for granted," he said.
EDITED BY INE
Translator: Immanuel CS, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
