WEBSITE DEBUNKS FAKE VIRAL NEWS
One-stop centre verifies authenticity of reports
FEELING suspicious of news that you have received and want it verified? Now, you can immediately post any unverified information shared to the newly launched sebenarnya.my website for verification.
With the tagline “Tak Pasti, Jangan Kongsi” (Don’t share if it’s unverified), the website, which was established to help the public detect fake news, has been up and running for more than four months.
Checks by the New Straits Times showed that the website had been updated with issues ranging from national issues to those involving economics.
One message, which went viral, declared that Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and the Home Ministry were recording and monitoring phone calls and conversations on social media.
Sebenarnya.my shared screenshots of messages that had gone viral via WhatsApp since April.
It ran clarification notes from Home Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Alwi Ibrahim and Deputy Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Jailani Johari debunking the news.
Other interesting fake news revealed by the website included rumours that keying in your automated teller machine security numbers in reverse would allow a distress message to be sent to the police, and that the Federal Land Development Authority (Felda) was planning to sell its stake in Felda Global Ventures Holdings Bhd.
Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak, who launched the portal in March, said it was part of the government’s efforts to combat the rampant spread of false news.
“The digital era society spends more than three hours surfing the Internet for news and information.
“However, most fake news goes viral on social media platforms, such as Facebook and WhatsApp, and some Internet users take it literally and share it without verifying because they want to be the first to share the information.
“Thus, we decided to come up with this sebenarnya.my portal, a one-stop centre for the public to check the authenticity of the news or information,” he said, adding that false news could jeopardise national harmony and security as it could sabotage the economy and create chaos.