KKMM Quick Response Team takes 30 mins to 3 hours to verify viral news - Suriani

KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 -- The Communications and Multimedia Ministry (KKMM) Quick Response Team takes between 30 minutes and three hours to verify any viral news and simultaneously prevent fake news from spreading, its secretary-general Datuk Suriani Ahmad said today.

She said the team’s efficiency and speed in checking the veracity of the news was achieved through close cooperation with other government agencies.

 “The longest it takes (to verify the news) is three hours because we want to be fast to counter the spread (of fake news).

“We want to counter the allegations and we cooperate a lot with other government agencies, who respond swiftly as well as provide the latest and verified information,” she said as a guest on Bernama TV’s Ruang Bicara programme titled “Pasukan Respon Pantas KKMM - Perangi Berita Palsu” (KKMM Quick Response Team - Countering Fake News).

She said that KKMM also monitored the sharing of viral news among social media users to counter the spread of fake news.

Suriani said this was done by a team to speedily verify the authenticity of the news which had gone viral, depending on the level of seriousness.

The team is headed by an officer from the KKMM Strategic Communications Division and comprises staff from the ministry and agencies like the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) as well as representatives from the National Security Council (NSC).

Meanwhile, commenting on the Sebenarnya.my portal, which is led by KKMM, she said information on the portal was updated daily.

“Sometimes we repost (the information) depending on the level of seriousness of the fake news so that it is no longer a topic of discussion,” she said.

The KKMM Quick Response Team was formed on March 16 to counter the spread of fake news and verify certain news, especially in situations where there are many fake news items being disseminated until they cause anxiety among the public.

-- BERNAMA