Today, the Malaysia Government is imposing a new rule to tackle fake news. Starting today onwards under the Emergency Ordinance (No. 2) 2021, any individual or party who publish or broadcast fake news about any related COVID-19 and State of Emergency matters will be fined up to RM100,000.
On top of that, the individual or party can also be imprisoned for up to three years. The fake news, whether in written format, visuals or audio recording could find the ones responsible to be in trouble, but they will be given 24 hours to delete the publication with instructions of the authorities. This even affects those living outside of the country, regardless of nationality.
While we shouldn't be sharing or posting any fake news in the first place, this move has made some Malaysian lawyers worried. This is because it looks like a "net" effect" on the freedom of expression and "a movie to silence the rakyat". But what do you folks think? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for trending tech news at TechNave.com.
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