Indonesia says it’s fighting the dangers of misinformation related to the Wuhan coronavirus to prevent widespread panic in the country, which has, by official accounts, been untouched by the deadly virus thus far.
During a press conference in Jakarta today, Communications and Information (Kominfo) Minister Johnny G Plate said his ministry has been identifying corona virus-related fake news and hoax stories that have gone viral in the country.
Some hoaxes that we at Coconuts have received — mostly on WhatsApp groups — include unverified stories about infections in Indonesia, government cover ups, as well as racist and bigoted posts vilifying the Chinese and suggesting that the outbreak is some sort of a divine retribution against them.
“[The Wuhan coronavirus] should not be linked to other matters, especially politics, law, and religion,” Johnny said, as quoted by Kompas.
As of today, Kominfo has identified 54 misleading viral content and posts about the coronavirus in Indonesia — a number that is likely to keep increasing as long as the outbreak remains the focus of the media and the public.
The ministry says it won’t block the dissemination of the misleading content for now (partially blocking internet access is a tried and tested method the Indonesian government has used to “uphold public order”), but warns that there are legal consequences for those who spread lies online.
“We will not hesitate in acting against those who spread misinformation and create public unrest,” Kominfo’s director of general information applications, Semuel Abrijani Pangarepan, said.
Under Indonesia’s controversial Information and Electronic Transactions Act (UU ITE) — a law that has often been criticized as a threat to freedom of speech — spreading misinformation to create public unrest is a crime punishable by up to six years in prison.
