Inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. As Indonesia gears up for its political year, the spread of fake news and hoaxes on social media is expected to surge. In response, the Indonesian National Police (INP) has launched early detection and prevention measures to avoid the potential real-world impact.

Brigadier General Gatot Repli Handoko, the Head of the Multimedia Bureau of the Public Relations Division of INP, stated that the police have identified at least three issues and are currently implementing preventive measures.

Firstly, all problems, especially those concerning police officer violations, have become political commodities. This situation has led to a significant decrease in trust towards INP.

"Secondly, hoaxes and hate speech are on the rise. As political campaigns intensify, political communication and public communication take place side by side," he said on Wednesday (5/4/23).

Thirdly, issues related to ethnicity, religion, race, and inter-group have become increasingly sensitive and fragile due to the polarization of Indonesia's digital society, which tends to believe in their chosen information sources as truth.

"It is our collective duty to prevent and combat these issues while providing literacy to the public in order to maintain security and peace in Indonesia," he concluded.

(ay/hn/um)