From chilli seeds to an influx of Chinese workers, Indonesia to set up agency to combat fake news
Indonesia is setting up an agency that will tackle fake news after a flood of untrue stories on social media, an official said on Thursday, including claims China was waging biological warfare against the country using contaminated chilli seeds.
Freedom [of speech] is a right in a democracy but there is also an obligation to obey the law
The new cyber agency will also seek to protect state institutions from hackers, said presidential spokesman Johan Budi. Chief Security Minister Wiranto said that the move was necessary to combat a flood of news on social media that was “slanderous, fake, misleading and spread hate”.
“Freedom [of speech] is a right in a democracy but there is also an obligation to obey the law,” he said.
Officials said among the agency’s tasks would be to monitor news circulating online to check for false stories. It will be overseen by the security ministry and will work alongside other government agencies, they said, without giving further details.
It came after President Joko Widodo declared his intention at a cabinet meeting in December to combat fake news in a country where people are rapidly getting online for the first time, with over 130 million out of 255 million inhabitants now estimated to be internet users.