"To respond to an increase in the trends of the spread of hoax issues ahead of the elections, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics is carrying out handling measures at the upstream, middle, and downstream levels," he remarked here on Wednesday.
Setiadi stated that at the upstream level, the ministry will focus on improving digital literacy and competence of the community.
The ministry launched a campaign on anti-hoax education and dissemination of information through the National Digital Literacy Movement, with the aim of improving the community's awareness of the harm of hoaxes and boosting skills in identifying misinformation.
At the middle level, the ministry issues clarification on hoaxes related to the elections. It is also cooperating with digital platforms to debunk hoaxes.
In addition, the ministry had taken action to eradicate hoaxes related to the elections and cut access to websites that spread hoaxes related to elections.
Meanwhile, at the downstream level, the ministry provides data and information support to the Criminal Investigation Agency of the National Police in an effort to support law enforcement against those that create and spread hoaxes related to elections.
The minister highlighted the need for joint efforts to realize peaceful General Elections in 2024. He spotlighted serious issues in the earlier elections, especially related to hoaxes that caused information chaos.
In the 2019 General Elections, the ministry recorded over 928 hoax issues that were circulating. During the period from January 2023 to September 2023, some 152 hoax issues were detected, an increase of 51 hoax issues as compared to 2022.
"Thus, the total number of hoax issues from 2018 to September 19, 2023, were 1,471," he remarked.
He further underscored the importance of taking precautionary measures against unsettling information during the elections, considering the various negative impacts, such as polarization among members of the community, decrease in trust for democracy, and political instability.
To this end, Setiadi pressed for intensively handling hoaxes and disinformation in the upcoming elections in order to maintain the quality of democracy in the country.
He also emphasized the importance of healthy and moral participation in the democratic process. He invited all parties to create a healthy digital space to realize peaceful 2024 General Elections.
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Translator: Fathur Rochman, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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