Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The government, through the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, has reiterated its commitment to take strict action against social media accounts that spread hoaxes. "We will strongly ask the platforms to remove the content if it is confirmed to be a hoax," Usman Kansong, the Director General of Information and Public Communication, said in Jakarta on Tuesday (31/10/2023). He stressed that the government would identify accounts responsible for spreading false content. Accounts that intentionally spread fake news or hate speech will be requested by social media platforms to block their accounts. Usman outlined the government's three monitoring approaches, antaranews.com reported. These include the use of AI, specifically the Automatic Identification System (AIS), to automatically detect misinformation on social and digital platforms. In addition, human cyber patrols work in shifts around the clock to monitor social media. Public reports play an important role in the identification process. The policy against spreading false information extends to influencers and "buzzers", especially during tense Palestinian-Israeli conflicts when calls for product boycotts surface, he added. However, some deliberately spread misinformation, falsely linking domestically produced items to Israel, accompanying calls for boycott and advocating buying from competitors. Israeli attacks on Palestine have fueled the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in several countries. BDS typically emerges during conflicts in the Middle East and targets products associated with Israel, even if they have nothing to do with the conflict. Marzuki Mustamar of the Nahdlatul Ulama East Java Regional Board stressed that NU doesn't prohibit specific product boycotts because it believes that Indonesia still needs foreign goods. (mg/inp/pr/nm)