Masing supports anti-fake news bill
KUCHING: The bill on anti-fake news is excellent in stopping people who intentionally want to smear the image of others, especially on social media.
In stating this, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing said it will in effect help to stop speculations on people’s characters with no real basis.
“Anybody who thinks that the next person is of bad character must first have solid evidence to prove his assumption. If he or she can’t prove it, the law will penalise him,” the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) president said.
“I hope all Malaysian lawmakers would support this bill. If any lawmaker is not willing to support it, he or she must have legitimate reasons to oppose it,” he added.
The Anti-Fake News Bill 2018 was tabled in Parliament yesterday.
Several observers are of the opinion that once passed, the bill will have wide reaching consequences on how any information is published.
Section 2 of the Bill defines fake news as ‘any news, information, data and reports, which is or are wholly or partly false, whether in the form of features, visuals or audio recordings or in any other form capable of suggesting words or ideas’.
The application of the law is detailed in illustrations contained in Section 4 of the bill and they are as follows.
(a) A offers false information to B, for B to publish the information in B’s blog. B, not knowing that the information offered by A is false, publishes the information in his blog. A is guilty of an offence under this section, B is not guilty of an offence under this section.
( b) A fabricates information by
Anybody who thinks that the next person is of bad character must first have solid evidence to prove his assumption. If he or she can’t prove it, the law will penalise him. Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing, Deputy Chief Minister
stating in an article published in his blog that Z, a well-known businessman, has obtained a business contract by offering bribes. A is guilty of an offence under this section.
(c) A fabricates an information by stating in an article published in his blog that Z, a well-known businessman, has obtained a business contract by offering bribes. B, knowing that the information has been fabricated shares the article on his social media account. Both A and B are guilty of an offence under this section.
(d) A published an advertisement containing a caricature of Z depicting Z as a successful investor in an investment scheme knowing that Z is not involved in the investment scheme. A is guilty of an offence under this section.
(e) A publishes a statement in his social media account that a food product of Z’s company contains harmful ingredients and is being sold to the public knowing that the production of the food has been discontinued several years ago and the food product is no longer sold to the public. A is guilty of an offence under this section.
(f) A creates a website impersonating a government agency’s website. In the website, A publishes a guideline purportedly issued by theheadofthegovernment agency which requires the public to apply for a licence to carry out a particular activity. There is no such guideline issued by the government agency. A is guilty of an offence under this section.
(g) A gives a speech during a public forum held at a public place. In his speech, A informs that Z has misappropriated moneys collected for charitable purpose knowing that the information is false. A is guilty of an offence under this section.
( h) A holds a press conference where he claims that Z, an owner of a supermarket, will give out free gifts to the first 100 customers of his supermarket on every first Saturday of the month knowing that Z has no intention to do as claimed by A. A is guilty of an offence under this section.
Offenders, if convicted, will be facing a hefty fine of up to RM500,000 or ten years in prison.
Those opposed to it said once passed, the bill will put Malaysians on the brink of losing freedom, and more than half of stories submitted by reporters could be fake.