| Azlan Othman in Singapore |
THE spread of fake news is an “epidemic” and if not tackled properly and timely, it can potentially disrupt social harmony and the peaceful foundation ASEAN has built.
This was stated by Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Mokti bin Haji Mohd Daud, Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, during the Plenary Session of the 14th Conference of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) and Related Meetings held at the Shangri-La Hotel, Republic of Singapore.
He also touched on digital technology, which he said has gone through leaps and bounds such that it touches all aspects of our lives. Some advantages of technology allows for speedier access in conveying information and better clarity; access to a bigger library of information; enhance commerce and promote higher learning.
Highlighting the exploitation of digital technology, he said that in recent years, human creativity has been exploited to distort truth and create false stories with the aim to deliberately misinform the public for financial and political gain.
“The biggest challenge is guaranteeing the credibility and reliability of the sources of information. The second is the vulnerability of user information that has not just become tools for political propaganda and business profiteering, but also cybercrime.”
The Minister also touched on the manipulation of Facebook user data which brought attention to the use of media tools to cause harm. Hence the need for security enhancement, he added.
To curb these dangers and protect society’s trust in each other, he further called for creating a better legal framework and security arrangement. In addition, there is the need to educate the public at all levels on the responsible use of digital technology. To this end, he shared that in Brunei Darussalam, the public is frequently reminded to be more responsible in using social media, besides reviewing the current laws and the monitoring processes.
“Countering fake news should be a collective action for all ASEAN member states as it is not an issue affecting just one country or one sector. ASEAN can leverage on the established communications link to combat the misuse and abuse of data,” he said, also underscoring the need to enhance data security, specifically “strengthening network security so we are less liable to become victims of Internet scams that illegally access our data”.
Earlier, speaking on the theme of the conference, ‘Inclusive and Informed Digital ASEAN’, in his keynote address as the guest of honour during the opening ceremony of the 14th AMRI Conference, Heng Swee Keat, Minister for Finance, Republic of Singapore, suggested three goals. The first is growing ASEAN’s digital economy by enabling businesses to make full use of digital technology to innovate new products and services. Second is nurturing an inclusive digital society by enabling the people in ASEAN to access and navigate the digital world. Third, to build a trusted digital ecosystem that will support an informed people. As digital channels proliferate, ASEAN must respond to new challenges such as fake news.
The opening ceremony was followed by the plenary session of the conference which was chaired by S Iswaran, Minister for Communications and Information of Singapore with Kobask Pootrakool, Minister at the Office of the Prime Minister, Kingdom of Thailand as Vice-Chair, and attended by ministers and senior officials from all 10 ASEAN member states as well as the Secretary-General of ASEAN.
During the session, Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Mokti first congratulated S Iswaran for being newly appointed as the minister for communications and information of the Republic of Singapore, and for taking over the chairmanship of the AMRI from 2018-2019. He then expressed his sincere gratitude to former minister Dr Yaacob Ibrahim for his steadfast contribution to AMRI.
All AMRI ministers and heads of delegation delivered their remarks based on the three separate aspects of the theme mentioned above.
AMRI had a roundtable discussion on ‘Countering Fake News and Communicating the Right Information’ in September last year, and had instructed SOMRI (Senior Officials Meeting Responsible for Information) to expedite collaboration in this area.
The 14th AMRI discussed and endorsed three outcome documents which will be elevated to the 33rd ASEAN Summit for the leaders’ notation, namely the ASEAN Communication Master Plan II (ACMP II); the Core Values on Digital Literacy for ASEAN; as well as the Framework and Joint Declaration to Minimise the Harmful Effects of Fake News. In addition, the meeting also endorsed the Framework for Co-Production in Audio-Visual Sector for ASEAN; and Revision to Digital Video Broadcasting-Second Generation Terrestrial Integrated Receiver Decoder Technical Specifications for ASEAN.
The 14th AMRI also noted the report of the 16th SOMRI, the 5th SOMRI+3 and the 2nd SOMRI+Japan which included Brunei Darussalam’s reports on the 3rd SOMRI Working Group on Information, Media and Training (SOMRI WG-IMT); and ASEAN cooperation with Japan which included projects under the information sector. Brunei Darussalam is currently the country-coordinator for ASEAN-Japan dialogue relations.
Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Mokti also attended the 5th AMRI+3 Meeting together with ministers and heads of delegation from all 10 ASEAN member states as well as the Plus Three Countries. The meeting was chaired by S Iswaran.
On the sidelines of the 14th AMRI, Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Abdul Mokti also held bilateral meetings with Jose Ruperto Martin M Andanar, Secretary, Presidential Communications Operations Office of the Republic of the Philippines. Bilateral ties in the areas of broadcasting and media were discussed.
The 14th AMRI Conference was preceded by the 16th SOMRI, the 5th SOMRI+3 Meeting and the 2nd SOMRI Plus Japan Meeting on May 8-9, 2018, which was attended by Mohamed Riza bin Dato Paduka Haji Mohamed Yunos, Permanent Secretary (Media and Cabinet) at the Prime Minister’s Office as well as officers from the Prime Minister’s Office, Radio Television Brunei and the Information Department.
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