Netizens cautioned against spreading unverified information

SHAH ALAM: The government has cautioned netizens against spreading unverified information through social media.
Communications and Multimedia Deputy Minister Datuk Jailani Johari (pix) said the public caught in the flow of modern technology had the tendency to believe everything in the internet without checking the authenticity.
"In the past, to be a millionaire or those wanting to convey information have to undergo a course and so on but now they (false news campaigners) such as instant noodle journalists, have all the info at their fingertips ... that means they can become popular in a matter of five minutes.
"So we advise them out there, don't simply upload information or create something that can disrupt racial and religious harmony in this country ... as we can see, there is always something that has been viralised daily.
"We at the ministry will not hesitate to take action," he told reporters here today, while closing an international seminar, 'Fiqh Tabayyun: Mendepani Cabaran dan Fitnah Media Sosial'.
The seminar was organised by Institut Wasatiyyah Malaysia (IWM) with the cooperation of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM)'s Faculty of Communication and Media Studies.
Also present were the Prime Minister's religious adviser, Tan Sri Dr Abdullah Md Zin, who is also IWM chairman, and IWM director Datuk Mohd Yusof Din.
Jailani said the culprits could be charged under existing legal provisions such as Penal Code, Computer Crime Act 1997, Sedition Act 1948, Defamation Act 1957 and Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.
"We have taken several actions under the law and imposed punishment on those found guilty," he stressed.
Earlier in his speech, the deputy minister said 13 cases were brought to court between 2012 and 2015, while the Complaints Bureau at the Communications and Multimedia Commission recorded 541 cases of defamation out of 3,241 complaints between January and end of September 2016.
Meanwhile, he said the organisation of the seminar was timely, "more so as the number of internet users nationwide has reached 20.1 million, of which 17.4 million are active social media". — Bernama