Najib: Verify information provided by social media

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak said that in an era where perception matters more than reality, people should validate information on social information.

He said that in this era of sophisticated communication technology, the rise of social media has resulted in the “democratisation of information.”

In a blog posting, Najib said this meant information was channeled two ways and that people are free to spread information.

This democratisation he said had its good and bad points, with the latter including the wide spread of false information.

Najib said that that a lot of information has been twisted and spun, resulting in people misunderstanding a certain issue.    

“As a result, we are in an era of perception rather than reality. Most of the accusations and spin do not reflect reality of the issue or statements by leaders, whether from the government or the opposition.

“We must assess the validity of the information by checking it at the source so that we are not easily duped,” he said.