KUALA LUMPUR: Police have opened 37 investigation papers related to the spread of fake news on Covid-19.
Federal Criminal Investigations Department deputy director (investigation and law) Deputy Commissioner Mior Faridalathrash Wahid said 23 of the cases were still under investigation, 11 cases had been heard in court while the remaining cases ha ve been classified as 'no further action' (NFA).
Mior Faridalathrash said of the cases that had been charged in court, five of the accused had pleaded guilty while six claimed trial.
Selangor recorded the highest number of cases with nine, followed by Johor (6); Sarawak (5); Kuala Lumpur (4); Melaka, Pahang and Sabah (3), Terengganu (2); Penang and Kelantan (1).
Six cases in Selangor have been brought to court, followed by Kuala Lumpur (3 cases) and one case each in Sabah and Terengganu.
These cases are being investigated under Section 203A and Section 505(b) of the Penal Code for disclosure of information and statements conducing to public mischief, as well as Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act for improper use of network facilities or network service.
Deloitte Malaysia Cyber Security executive director Chung Kim Chuen in a statement said although fake news was not new, the proliferation of social media platforms and messaging apps, where information can go viral almost instantaneously, had amplified the problem.
Chung noted the impact of fake news differs depending on the topic involved and who the target entity is.
“Some fake news are spread to cause social unrest or panic, such as the recent ones involving the exaggerated dangers of Covid-19. These tend to have a more lasting and deeper impact on society, and can lead to legal troubles, and in some cases, even police arrest.
“Fake news can lead to bigger troubles than just a mere social mischief. In May 2019, UK’s Metro Bank was the victim of a fake news campaign where news of its supposedly impending shutdown or bankruptcy went viral via WhatsApp.
“Within hours, various bank branches saw panicked customers wanting to withdraw their savings or empty their safe deposit boxes. The bank’s share price suffered a severe drop as a result of this,” he said.
Chung urged members of the public to refrain from forwarding unverified news.
“Read beyond the headline to understand the whole story before forwarding and check the authors of the news to if they are credible. Also, assess the supporting sources to ensure they support the claims and check the date of publication to see if the story is still relevant. Then, ask experts for confirmation.
“These are some of the guidelines published by the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA). Combating fake news is never easy, but we can all do our part to win in the long term,” he said.