ALMOST two billion suspicious calls and 581 million dubious short messaging service (SMS) messages were successfully blocked from reaching Malaysian consumers with the assistance of telecommunication service providers to tackle online scams.

Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil said from 2020 to April 2023, the ministry also received 8,499 public complaints related to fraudulent activities and in the same period successfully blocked 3,370 phishing sites.

“Malaysia is managing misinformation, especially from the new media by focusing on 2Ps – prevention and protection.

“We are heavily invested in educating and empowering the public with online knowledge and tools to protect themselves,” he said at the 16th Conference of Asean Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) plenary session held after the opening ceremony in Da Nang, Vietnam, today.

Fahmi is leading the Malaysian delegation to the conference at Furama Resort Danang, which officially commenced today.

Fahmi said to tackle misinformation, disinformation and fake news, Malaysia has set up a task force consisting of various agencies, including the police, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and the Attorney-General’s Chambers.

He said this is in response to AMRI’s Working Group on Information, Media and Training, which has established the Task Force on Fake News to look specifically at the role of media and information, to share best practices and come up with shared initiatives in the Asean region on combating fake news.

“Malaysia has also set up Sebenarnya.my and MyCheck Malaysia, which are fact-checking websites. Sebenarnya.my has an average hits of 4.8 million a month and is the most effective fact-checking website in Malaysia,” he said.

Earlier, Vietnam Vice-President Vo Thi Anh Xuan, in her opening speech, highlighted the importance of promoting timely and accurate information based on digital capabilities, turning information into knowledge to support businesses and people’s livelihoods.

“Minimising the impact of negative information is now an urgent need at national, regional and international levels, including Asean,” she said.

Xuan said AMRI is an important forum for Asean member states and dialogue countries to exchange to identify priorities and directions for cooperation in future and to jointly achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals as well as the priorities of the Asean Community. – Bernama, September 22, 2023.