CYBERJAYA: The proposed law to curb fake news has yet to be discussed at the cabinet level, says Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak.
Salleh said Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said is in the midst of gathering views and feedback from the stakeholders on the proposal to draft the law on fake news.
"The matter has not been discussed at cabinet level yet. Azalina is the chairman of the special committee formed to look into laws to curb fake news.
"I was told that Azalina has met with relevant parties to get their feedback.
“We have determined that before this issue is brought to the cabinet, Azalina should meet the stakeholders, as many as possible, to get their opinion on this matter," he said after launching the Sebenarnya.my mobile application, here.
On Jan 30, a special committee was set up to study a new law to stop the spread of fake news that may threaten the political stability of the country as well as undermine public order and national security.
The committee had its first meeting in January which was also joined by representatives from the police, Attorney General's Chambers, National Security Council, Communications and Multimedia Commission, Communications and Multimedia Ministry and Legal Affairs Division.
Meanwhile at the event, Salleh said information verification portal Sebenarnya.my has received 25 million hits or averagely two million hits per month since it was launched last year.
Salleh said analysis on Sebenarnya.my showed an average increase of 10 per cent per quarter to the total hits.
"I would like to stress that fake news is the enemy of any country. It is deemed psychology warfare, which is aimed at deceiving people to believe viral false news.
"Other countries are also facing the same issue. For instance in Europe, the spread of fake news has become a serious problem especially in Germany and France, which led the European Union to form a special taskforce to address the issue," he said.