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SCMP Reporter

The term “fake news” became widespread after the 2016 US elections but it resonates widely in Asia.
In several instances, social media rumours and hoaxes have contributed to the spread of ethnic tensions, violence and political confrontation.
Some regional governments have started enacting “fake news laws” to tackle the problem but critics worry such legislation will be used to stifle freedom of speech.


What is fake news and how does it affect Asia?
According to PolitiFact, fake news is “made-up stuff, masterfully manipulated to look like credible journalistic reports that are easily spread online to large audiences”.
Although disinformation has always existed, a range of new tools such as social media and messaging apps have made it easier to spread falsehoods.
The phenomenon has had severe consequences across the globe, from shifting voters’ stances to causing violence among ethnic groups.
Asia, where social media has already become the main source of news, is vulnerable to the spread of fake news as several episodes have proven.
Sri Lanka blocks Facebook, Instagram, Viber and WhatsApp as anti-Muslim riots flare up
In Myanmar, the military has been accused of creating fake accounts on Facebook to spread false news about Muslims in the country, inciting violence against the Rohingya minority. A report commissioned by Facebook concluded that the platform “has become a means for those seeking to spread hate and cause harm, and posts have been linked to offline violence”.
Similarly, in Sri Lanka the spread of fake news led to communal violence between the Buddhist majority and the country’s Muslim minority. In a jarring episode, a mob destroyed a local restaurant and set a mosque on fire after rumours spread that the owner of the venue has laced meals with “sterilisation pills”.
India’s lynching app: who is using WhatsApp as a murder weapon?
In India, lynch mobs sprung up in response to fake news spread on WhatsApp, accusing innocent people of kidnappings. In July 2018, five men were beaten to death in the western state of Maharashtra after a video about the slaughter of children to harvest their organs was circulated on WhatsApp. The video used pictures from a nerve gas attack in Syria and claimed they were local children who had been kidnapped and killed.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte regularly condemns as “fake news” media outlets critical of his administration, in what many see as an effort to discredit critical media outlets from the Philippines. But Duterte and some of its cabinet members, including his former communications assistant secretary, Mocha Uson, have also been accused of spreading misinformation online.

How are countries confronting fake news?
Countries in Southeast Asia are trying to fight fake news through new regulation and campaigns to improve media literacy among their citizens.
In Singapore, a parliamentary committee asked in 2018 to consider legislation aiming both to those responsible of fake news and technology companies giving a platform to those voices. The law would also carry criminal penalties for perpetrators.
In Indonesia, the government of Joko Widodo holds weekly briefings on “hoax news” and has conducted several detentions against misinformation after extremist Muslim groups sought to inflame ethnic tensions and targeted people accused of criticising Islam.

Are all these efforts welcome?
Advocacy groups have long warned of the possible negative impact on freedom of speech that legislating against fake news might have.
In Malaysia, for example, the previous prime minister, Najib Razak, passed a law one month before general elections.
The law was repealed on August 2018 by the new government, led by Mohamad Mahathir. Before returning to power, Mahathir himself was being investigated under the “fake news law” after he claimed his plane was sabotaged before the elections.
How WhatsApp is trying to solve its fake news problem in India
In the Philippines, the Senate discussed in 2018 a bill that would criminalise the spread of fake news and target government officials promoting inaccurate information. The proposal was dismissed.
Cambodia also passed its own “fake news” law. Anyone posting misinformation on social media or websites can be punished with up to two years in jail and fines of US$1,000.
The bill, approved amid a government campaign to stifle dissent, was criticised in a statement signed by more than 100 local NGOs as “a serious threat” to freedom of expression.

Are big technology firms acting to tackle the problem?
After a barrage of criticism, tech companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter have announced measures to fight fake news.
These firms have started to suspend accounts, reject payments to promote content from users spreading hoaxes, warn users of dubious content and partner with researchers and fact-checkers to detect false information.
Facebook, WhatsApp target fake news for Asia’s election season, but is it too little, too late?
Facebook decided to start its campaign to delete fake news in Sri Lanka, after rumours on the platform triggered intercommunal violence. The company said it was working with local civil society groups to detect false posts that could contribute to “imminent” violence.
The company also blocked several accounts from Myanmar linked to the military, accused of spreading misinformation about the Rohingya minority. Facebook also set up teams to combat fake news ahead of elections in India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.


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Social media

Explained: fake news in Asia

Malaysia launched a campaign to combat fake news. Photo: EPA

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad gives an interview at his office near Kuala Lumpur on June 26, 2018. (Kyodo) ==Kyodo

A man holds a mobile phone displaying a fake message shared on Facebook's WhatsApp messaging service while attending an event to raise awareness of fake news in Balgera village in the district of Gadwal, Telangana, India, on June 12. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Dhiraj Singh.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo speaks during a Plenary Conference of The Asian Affairs Commission International Union of Notaries (CAAs-UINL) and International of The Indonesia Notary Association in Nusa Dua on the resort island of Bali on September 8, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SONNY TUMBELAKA

Facebook, WhatsApp target fake news for Asia’s election season, but is it too little, too late?

(FILES) This file photo taken March 26, 2018 shows commuters waiting for the train in-front of a public service announcement that reads "sharing a lie makes you a liar" at a train station in downtown Kuala Lumpur Governments across Asia are pushing laws to fight "fake news" after taking inspiration from US President Donald Trump, alarming activists who fear the legislation will be used to curb press freedoms and dissent. / AFP PHOTO / Mohd RASFAN

This picture taken on December 18, 2018 shows Myanmar youths browsing their Facebook page at an internet shop in Yangon. - Facebook has removed hundreds of additional pages and accounts in Myanmar with hidden links to the military, the platform said on December 19, as the company scrambles to respond to criticism over failures to control hate speech and misinformation. (Photo by Sai Aung MAIN / AFP)

91% of internet users in Myanmar use Facebook. The Tatmadaw (Myanmar Military) took to the site, inciting genocide against the Muslim Rohingya. Craig Mod, The Atlantic

Katie Harbath, director of global politics and government outreach at Facebook. Photo: Handout

Photo: Reuters

Facebook is to roll out its new fake news policies in India, which goes to the polls in April and May. Photo: AFP

Death by fake news: Indian authorities blame ‘irresponsible and explosive messages’ on WhatsApp for lynchings

Indian protesters demanding the arrest and punishment of people involved in the killing of two men in Karbi Anglong district. Photo: AFP

This photo taken on June 10, 2018 shows Indian protesters demanding the arrest and punishment of people involved in the killing of two men in Karbi Anglong district, during a protest in Guwahati, the capital city of India’s northeastern state of Assam. The smartphone footage shows the two blood-soaked men pleading for their lives. Moments later they were dead, two more victims of lynchings sparked by rumours spread on Facebook and WhatsApp in India. Abhijeet Nath and Nilotpal Das were beaten to death by a mob in Karbi Anglong district that suspected the youths to be child abductors on June 8. / AFP PHOTO / Biju BORO / TO GO WITH INDIA-TECHNOLOGY-MEDIA-INTERNET,FOCUS by Alexandre MARCHAND

This photo taken on July 9, 2018 shows Gopal Chandra Das (L) and Radhika Das (R), parents of lynching victim Nilotpal Das, speaking to journalists at their residence in Guwahati, the capital city of India’s northeastern state of Assam. The smartphone footage shows the two blood-soaked men pleading for their lives. Moments later they were dead, two more victims of lynchings sparked by rumours spread on Facebook and WhatsApp in India. Abhijeet Nath and Nilotpal Das were beaten to death by a mob in Karbi Anglong district that suspected the youths to be child abductors on June 8. / AFP PHOTO / Biju BORO / TO GO WITH INDIA-TECHNOLOGY-MEDIA-INTERNET,FOCUS by Alexandre MARCHAND

How WhatsApp is trying to solve its fake news problem in India, where group messaging has been used to stir deadly mob violence

A spectator holds a branded T-shirt during a roadshow for Facebook’s WhatsApp messaging service. Photo: Bloomberg

Indian members from the Vaadi community participate in a protest in support of Shantadevi Nath, who was killed by a mob that falsely believed she was intent on abducting children on June 27, in Ahmedabad on July 2, 2018. Indian police urged people on June 27 not to believe false rumours spread on WhatsApp after a woman was killed and a dozen hurt in the latest mob attacks to leave authorities looking powerless. / AFP PHOTO / SAM PANTHAKY

A WhatsApp ambassador speaks with a spectator during a roadshow for Facebook Inc.'s WhatsApp messaging service and Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd.'s wireless network at night in Pune, India, on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018. Facebook and Reliance Jio are teaming up to draw hordes of customers with cheap phones, rock-bottom rates and handy messaging services. Photographer: Dhiraj Singh/Bloomberg

Asia Briefing: The Philippines

The new Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray (C) from Philippines is congratulated by second runner-up Miss Venezuela Sthefany Gutierrez (R) and other contestants during the Miss Universe 2018 at Impact Arena in Bangkok, Thailand – but social media in the Philippines erupted in controversy over how ‘authentic’ her ethnic background was in representing her country. Photo: EPA

Asia Briefing: Thai election analysis and the Russians of Pattaya

Reungkrai Leekijwatana, an official with the Thai Raksa Chart party, holds a copy of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha's candidacy application as he speaks to members of the media at the office of the Election Commission in Bangkok, Thailand. Photo: Bloomberg

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Several Asian countries rely heavily on social media for information, making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of fake news



Several Asian countries rely heavily on social media for information, making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of fake news.


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Explainer | Explained: fake news in Asia

Several Asian countries rely heavily on social media for information, making them particularly vulnerable to the spread of fake news

What is fake news and how does it affect Asia?