The Indonesian Ministry of Information is set to publish a weekly list of fake news items in an attempt to educate the public about online misinformation ahead of the April 2019 national elections, the ministry said Thursday.
It will reveal "false news or information" to the public on the ministry website every week, spokesperson Ferdinandus Setu told EFE.
A team of 70 people will take turns to monitor content on internet and other media in the country, Setu said.
Communications and Information Minister Rudiantara said his team would not just identify fake news but also submit proof so that the people could understand and "sort through" the news, according to official news agency Antara.
In December Indonesian President Joko Widodo established the National Cyber Encryption Agency to detect cyber-crime, hoaxes and online slander.
Widodo and his government have faced a number of online misinformation campaigns accusing him of having been a member of the banned Communist Party, favouring the Chinese minority and questioning his faith in Islam.
His opponents have also been targeted, and vice-presidential candidate Sandiaga Uno recently complained about a website which had accused him of having extramarital affairs.
Activists have cited the influence of hardline Islamist groups in politics and social, religious and ethnic tensions as reasons behind the rising politically motivated fake news campaigns and hoaxes.
More than 187 million Indonesians are registered to vote in the presidential elections in April next year, in a country where around 88 per cent of the population is Muslim.
