Deputy Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Nezar Patria stated that the government has prepared a strategy to address the wave of disinformation arising from algorithms on digital platforms.
The government's strategy to address the spread of disinformation today, he said, includes increasing content moderation based on the Law on Information and Electronic Transactions.
"Komdigi conducts content moderation based on its mandate and existing legal regulations. We continue to respect freedom of expression as long as it does not lead to slander, disinformation, and hate speech," he said in a ministry press statement confirmed on Thursday.
The number of internet users in Indonesia currently stands at nearly 240 million. With that many internet users, digital platforms like social media have become a very busy space, with users acting as both producers and consumers of information.
"They both produce and consume information, so much of the information they produce is sometimes not based on facts. It can be driven by sentiment," Nezar said.
"Why does this sentiment-based information reach us? Because there are algorithms in social media," he said.
He explained that the algorithm recognizes user preferences based on the user's digital activities, such as likes or the duration of viewing content on social media platforms.
As a result, social media platform users will receive more frequent and extensive information aligned with their preferences, reducing their chances of accessing diverse information and perspectives.
"What we talk about on social media is often not a dialogue, but rather we shout and hear the echo of our own shouts. That's what's called an echo chamber," Nezar said.
" Most of what happens is that people prefer to give sentiments rather than facts," he added.
