Images of murder-accused disgraced former Oknha Srey Sina were doctored and widely circulated online. On the left is the original image, which shows him handcuffed. On the right, a fake image appears to show his standing relaxed, with his hands in his pockets. Facebook
The advent of social media has led to an increase in the spread of misinformation in the modern age, with Cambodia proving no exception.
In response to a recent jump in so-called “fake news”, government officials have asked the public to analyse all information carefully before accepting it as fact or sharing it on social media networks.
In the first half of 2024, the Ministry of Information recorded a total of 1,701 cases of fake information, a 12 per cent increase over the number recorded in the same period last year, when 1,519 examples were noted, explained ministry spokesman Tep Asnarith.
In 2023, the ministry recorded more than 3,000 cases of fake news.
The UN defines two forms of so-called fake news: Misinformation, which refers to the accidental spread of inaccurate information, and disinformation, in which the information is not only inaccurate, but intended to deceive and spread in order to do serious harm.
Nevertheless, there is no universally accepted definition of disinformation.
In recent months, there have been large numbers of fake news posts surrounding several high-profile cases.
They included misinformation surrounding disgraced former Oknha Srey Sina, who is accused of killing two people and injuring two more in a June shooting spree. Following the incident, doctored images which showed the accused appearing to be relaxed outside prison with his hands in his pockets were widely circulated. In reality, the suspect was handcuffed.
In the same case, some Facebook users, predominantly from overseas, spread alleged that he had been bailed on parole and would be allowed to return home during his trial, albeit with a GPS monitoring unit. They claimed Srey Sina was eligible for this treatment, despite the fact that no such provision exists under Cambodian law.
More recently, some misinformed or nefarious social media users have claimed that Prime Minister Hun Manet has authorised Vietnam's VinGroup to operate electric tuk-tuks in Cambodia. This was refuted by Manet, who claimed that the reports were fake news. He also reminded the public that legal measures could be applied should taxi drivers and tuk-tuk drivers stage a protest in response to the fake news.
Pen Bona, a government spokesman, acknowledged that he had noticed an increase in false information lately, with some stories being completely fabricated and some misrepresenting the facts.
“The real purpose of those who create fake news is to make people angry with the authorities or the government and to score political points, which is unfortunate,” he said.
“Those who create fake news, it appears that all they do all day is sit and think about how they can distort the news to sow confusion in society. They do this to benefit themselves rather than Cambodian society,” he added.
He urged people to check the source of any information they see before believing it, sharing it or commenting.
Asnarith warned that the spread of fake news or false information to the public could lead to chaos and instability, as well as other unforeseen consequences.
He said the ministry had noticed that some social media content creators and others who make money online disregard the ethics that apply to the use of social media as a communication tool. This is generally due to their ambition to pursue personal gain or popularity, through “clicks” online.
“These kinds of actions are unethical and have no place in society, especially when it comes to maintaining the dignity and privacy of members of the public,” he said.
He added that the information ministry has issued ethical guidelines for content creators and other social media users so they have a clear understanding of what kinds of actions violate acceptable behaviour. These include posting or sharing images that show grief, traumatic scenes or pornography, as well as images that depict violent acts, without adequate censorship.
He explained that another inappropriate form of behaviour is the publication of news that exaggerates, distorts or misrepresents the facts, often in a way that is designed to mislead the public, harm the reputation of the government or cause social unrest.
Asnarith believed that most such reporting was conducted for political gain.
The ministry of Information is working on this, especially with regard to social media users who monetise their content, he added.
Nop Vy, executive director of the Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association (CamboJA), said that determining whether information is false sometimes requires research. He acknowledged the spread of fake information on social media, which he believed was due to the wide use of the Internet, combined with a limited understanding of information literacy.
He urged citizens and journalists to verify information clearly before sharing it. He also called for more public education campaigns so that they would have the tools needed to determine what information is reliable and what is likely to be dis- or misinformation.
“Outreach education in this field is very important. If we do not educate the public but take legal action, I think there could be negative effects. It may affect their creativity or quell innovation, and could even affect their rights,” he said.
"Therefore, public education needs to be strengthened so that people are aware of the dangers of spreading fake news. Once they understand the risks, they will be able to reduce them,” he added.
