Welcome back to Faqcheck Insights, a blog that’s designed to help local and global companies operating in Malaysia understand our complex content landscape and online sources for misinformation and disinformation.

Here, companies can gain valuable knowledge covering trends and possible informational threats to a brand’s reputation.  The impact of misinformation or disinformation may be indirect, but having links to fake news or sketchy sources can damage how clients feel about the brand and might even lead to financial losses.  Here’s the latest instalment from Faqcheck’s bi-weekly series.

He said, she said

Social media’s real-time updates and user-generated content have transformed public reaction to social issues. Anyone sharing information online now can drastically change a narrative and its direction.  

Social media has equalised our access to information by encouraging healthy public debate but at the same time, online conversations can quickly change into something more sinister, affecting brands and broadly the public interest. This is fuelled by the hunger for information or mostly entertainment and instantaneity drives such conversations when a social issue breaks online.

As an example, the case of a Malaysian woman sharing her harrowing e-haling experience on Instagram garnered varying reactions. Some users doubted the accuracy of the video while others responded in support of the woman. This news site reported the details of the assault, which the company responded to through a form of apology and compensation. 

What’s visible here is that Instagram and other social media sites are effective to spread news, and importantly provide a space for quick discussions and reactions. Often online conversations take videos at face value, and due to the speed and emotional reactions to hot topics, it can turn heated pretty quick. 

This other example of animal abuse allegations in Kajang led to authorities speaking up about false accusations. The Department of Veterinary Services had to caution netizens about trusting fake news, as many were responding to misinformation  about the dog being returned to its abusive owner after being rescued.  What’s key here is that the agency managing animal welfare worked fast to diffuse any further backlash, to stop misinformation from spreading quickly.

Similarly, in this example, the Selangor Football Club promptly lodged a police report against a fan page for inciting hatred through provocative posts, while community leaders responded to call for peace as the story unfolded.   

That means that companies must be on higher alert and respond quickly before a particular controversial or heated conversation escalates on social media. At the same time, when consuming content that potentially has elements of violence and hate speech, consider a diversity of sources, and evidence from credible sources, prior to responding to public outrage.   

Be wary of sources that make sweeping generalisations, promote unsubstantiated theories, or present information without citations to research or expert consensus.  Algorithms can create echo chambers where users are exposed primarily to information that reinforces their existing beliefs, which can escalate fast to damage a brand’s reputation.

Crucially, corporations should prioritise victim-centred approaches by considering resources that emphasise empathy, confidentiality, and respect for the experiences and autonomy of survivors.  

Demanding as it sounds, speed is of the essence here when investigating controversial topics as thoroughly as possible.  And when managing public response, companies must be transparent and constantly communicate the progress of any investigation. These are important tactics in managing and minimising misinformation or disinformation.

See food and seafood

Staying alert of chatter is critical when local stories like this one about fish pellets break, because of its impact on the public’s perception about food sources.  

Initially, allegations about plastic being recycled as fish feed were reported as part of a government raid in Kedah. 

But as the issue developed, authorities clarified that the operation on the legality of the plastics factory and fish feed source were not linked, and noted the online confusion over the packaging of the feed. 

The issue was further discussed on Tiktok, and linked to political discussions as well. What this example shows is that within a matter of hours, or sometimes minutes, a topic can evolve into different forms and take on different narratives, with little signs of verification and investigation.

Meanwhile, this tweet questions the source of fish imports that can impact supermarkets and food and beverage outlets dealing with seafood sources. Misinformation can unfortunately spread quickly online and social media can quickly create and amplify trends, impacting public opinion.

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Compromised security

Indonesia’s massive data breach at its National Data Centre (PDN), recently led to a local public figure questioning the security of Malaysia’s own government database. The Indonesian cyber attack affected nearly 300 centres and made almost 98% of the data inaccessible 

This report cites a Malaysian political leader urging authorities to be wary of cyber attacks, particularly since millions of Malaysians were recently encouraged to enter their personal information online via the PADU initiative.  

PADU is a Database Hub for targeted subsidies, and aimed at centralising income and socio-economic data, ultimately enabling inclusive subsidy assistance. In January, the public was already nervous about PADU, as conversations centred around its risks - identity theft, data security and privacy.

Experts responding to the Indonesian crisis have warned that that attack will affect its reputation, after thousands travellers were stuck in hours of long queues at airports and ferry terminals. That’s because officials at these ports had to resort to pen and paper because the attack cut online access to passenger information.

Malaysian corporations will not be spared from hacks. Repeated attacks on telecommunications providers, and recent data breaches on a bank, satellite broadcaster and election commission raised questions of weak enforcement.  Negative media attention reporting disruption to daily routine and transactions will cause companies to face reputational damage.

Outages can result in huge financial losses, and in turn lead to customers losing trust in the security of financial institutions and telcos. Consumers' may be reluctant to set up online accounts, and conduct transactions online. They can face heightened digital anxiety about sharing personal information, adding to the difficulties of online businesses and disrupting operations. 

Malaysia can learn from Indonesia’s example to manage or avoid a potential impact on consumers’ purchasing habits. Hence, companies are strongly encouraged to invest in advanced cybersecurity measures such as multi-factor authentication, encryption, and continuous monitoring, while embarking on consumer education.

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