KANGAR: Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil has urged Malaysians to verify online posts and videos to prevent the spread of false information.
Fahmi advised the public to rely on official media sources to confirm the accuracy of content.
"I urge everyone to be cautious when consuming content on social media and not to easily believe what they see.
"Often, videos may be outdated footage from specific events or taken out of context, failing to tell the full story of the videos or images in question.
"My advice is to verify who posted the content — whether it is from a legitimate account or a fake one," he said during a press conference after launching the state-level Kita Madani programme today.
Present was Indera Kayangan assemblyman Gan Ay Ling.
Fahmi also highlighted the growing threat of AI-generated deepfakes, warning of their use to impersonate public figures.
"We have seen misuse of deepfake AI technology, producing videos where it seems like Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, or other prominent leaders are speaking, or even our famous singer, Datuk Seri Siti Nurhaliza Taruddin.
"So we must first confirm the account, whether it's official or a fake impersonator account."
He warned that the spread of false information online could be perpetuated by irresponsible parties with malicious intent.
"Often, these videos are edited with hidden agendas. The perpetrators may be scammers or people seeking to take advantage of the situation by sowing suspicion among the public," he said.
Fahmi emphasised the critical role of mainstream media in verifying reports and acting as a check-and-balance on information.
"We must cross-check what is reported in these posts and whether it has been covered by the mainstream media. Here, I see that the media plays a vital role in balancing and verifying news."
On a separate issue, Fahmi said the ministry had yet to decide on the appointment of a new director-general for the Community Communication Department (J-Kom).
"We are not there yet. I have asked the ministry's secretary-general Datuk Mohamad Fauzi Md Isa to review J-Kom's structure for some adjustments."
On Sept 24, it was reported that Mohd Khairuddin Othman has been removed as J-Kom director-general, just six months after his appointment.
Khairuddin, who is Selangor PKR secretary, told 'Utusan Malaysia' that his contract had been terminated, but did not explain why.