Fake news about govt vaccine programme is causing panic, ministry says
Fake news about the government’s efforts to tackle the Covid-19 crisis is drawing attention and causing panic among people, the Digital Economy and Society (DES) Ministry said on Sunday.
DES spokesperson Noppawan Huajaiman said the ministry's Anti-Fake News Centre identified 107 fraudulent reports between February 11 and 17 and found 34 of them related to Covid-19.
The centre also found that misinformation about government moves relating to the pandemic was being shared widely and causing public panic, she said
"Fake news in this group includes a sound clip of a Public Health Ministry meeting to make it sound as if the government is concealing information related to Covid-19 vaccines, and Food and Drug Administration documents related to vaccine consideration," the spokesperson added.
"Some fake news also exploited Covid-19 fears to cause panic, such as [a fraudulent report] that the Public Health Ministry had warned people not to travel and or undertake other public activities as the influenza situation is worrisome."
She also asked people to be cautious when consuming news from online sources.
People can get tips and warnings about fake news at the Anti-Fake News Centre's website, www.antifakenewscenter.com, Line account @antifakenewscenter and Twitter account twitter.com/AFNCThailand. To report fake news items, call the Government Contact Centre (GCC) hotline on 1111 ext 87.
