| Azlan Othman & Aziz Idris |
THE Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has devised a plan to establish an online portal to contain spreading of fake news on social media, said Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office YB Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Mokti bin Haji Mohd Daud.
Responding to a query raised by YB Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari at the 14th Legislative Council session which entered its fourth day yesterday, the minister also said the PMO, in cooperation with the departments responsible for information and communication technology, is also planning to frame out guidelines for wise usage of social media.
Acknowledging the viral spread of unverified reports and malicious messages on social media, the minister added that a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to contain the spread of malevolent information has been put in place.
The ministry concerned has been mandated to analyse fake reports or news spread through the social media and will give a response statement to counter and correct unverified news.
If such news or report is spread through websites or social media platforms, concerned ministries will take up the issue with the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) for taking action, the minister said.
Meanwhile, in a bid to instil awareness on the safe use of social media among the public, the national Content Advisory Council (CAC) has introduced a social media educational package to ensure proper sharing of information and facilitate the prudent use of this vulnerable platform.
This new initiative was highlighted by YB Awang Abdul Mutalib bin Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Yusof, the Minister of Communications, at the Legislative Council session yesterday.
He said this in response to a motion put forward by YB Khairunnisa binti Haji Ash’ari on introducing a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to weed out fake news and prevent the spread of it.
The minister welcomed the suggestion by the member and ensured that the committee members of CAC, which comprises the Ministry of Communications, the PMO and other government bodies and security agencies, will support all efforts to promote the positive use of social media and educate users about online etiquette.