'Verify before you vilify'- Salleh

Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Dr Salleh Said Keruak advised internet users to verify all news shared over social media feeds and exercise self-censorship.

He said that there are ethical and legal implications when one shares unverified news and information online.

“There is also the concern of unscrupulous scammers. Some posts that you like or share over your social media feeds can make Internet scammers richer.

“Most of these posts seems harmless – posts that asks you to like and share a photo to win an iPad, or to “like a post if you hate cancer”, for instance.

“Thousands of these photos are circulated and while most users think that sharing these posts on their timelines is harmless, there is a negative side to it,” he said in his latest blog posting, titled ‘Verify Before You Vilify’.

He also gives example on an extortion case of ‘Apai Nyamun’ that happened in Sarikei, Sarawak that gone viral but was neither reported nor verified with the police.

“Investigations by the police showed that the incidents did not take place and that “irresponsible people are trying to scare the people in Bintulu”.

“Irresponsible posts like these can create unnecessary confusion, anxiety and, in some extreme cases, panic and fear among the general populace,” he said.

Salleh also remind the people to not blindly click, like and share things on the newsfeed, without fully understanding the details behind the headlines or the truth about the story.

“Uploading and sharing unverified news can also land you into trouble, so be careful when hitting the ‘Share’ or ‘Retweet’ button the next time some sensationalised news pops up on your timeline,” he said.