PUTRAJAYA – A portal using artificial intelligence (AI) will be created to help people verify the information they receive, repel defamatory news, and fight fraud or scams, said Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil.
The portal, he said, will be an expansion of the special segment Biar Betul! that is shown on the Broadcasting Department (RTM) channels because the segment, which is less than a minute long, is insufficient and this must be sped up to address the issue.
“It is still in the early stages, but there is a need to ensure that people in general do not doubt the material they read. If there is any doubt, they can refer (to the portal).
“Today, we can watch an episode of Biar Betul! on various platforms, including RTM, where scam material, fake content, and slanderous news are exposed every day, but we see that it is insufficient and needs to be improved,” he said after launching the Jom Baca Bersama 10-minute programme at the Communications Ministry level here today.
According to Fahmi, the new platform will strengthen the capabilities of existing platforms such as Sebenarnya.my under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), MyCheck.my, managed by the Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama), and Biar Betul! to make it easier for people to search for and verify any information received.
Fahmi said the ministry will also work with social media platforms so that information received by users goes through a verification process as practised on the X platform that attaches “community notes” to a post, allowing users to give feedback on the post.
In addition, a total of 1,878 Madani communities across the country can serve as Biar Betul! agents, acting as the front line of defence against defamation, correcting perceptions, and checking facts with the ministry to ensure that information is delivered to the community in a more clear and organised manner.
He said that the matter is taken seriously, given that MCMC data revealed that nearly 80% of the content downloaded up until April was fraudulent, including advertising fraud and online gambling.
Earlier in his speech, Fahmi said that the theme of the Jom Baca Bersama 10-minute programme, Reading Preserves Unity, is very much in line with the Madani concept, which emphasises building a civilised society, giving each other insight, and fostering unity.
The programme, jointly organised by the Communications Ministry’s resource centre and the Information Department’s resource and photo centre (Japan), was held in conjunction with World Book and Copyright Day, celebrated annually worldwide on April 23.
The Bernama information and library centre, the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia resource centre, the RTM library, and the Tun Abdul Razak Institute of Broadcasting and Information all contributed to the programme’s success. – April 22, 2024