Minister discusses many programs used to debunk misinformation, particularly about economic frauds
PUBLISHED: 13 Feb 2025 at 17: 43
The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society claims to be working with over 300 organizations to combat fake news while using artificial intelligence ( AI ) to verify news reports.
At the Centara Life Government Complex Hotel &, Convention Center in Bangkok on Thursday, Minister Prasert Jantararuangtong presided over a factory on coordinating the identification of false information and building sites.
He said his ministry established the Anti-Fake News Center ( AFNC ) in November 2019, with the primary goal of addressing and preventing the widespread problem, especially online crime-related misinformation.
The goal of the center is to immediately give the public correct information so they don’t fall for scams.
Mr Prasert said the government is working in partnership with more than 300 firms, including public and private organizations, civil society organisations and media outlets, to create a system for media identification.
The AFNC categorises false information into five main groupings that affect the public: state plans and countrywide protection, illegal goods or services, the economy, natural disasters, and online crime.
The public already accesses information on fraudulent information from the AFNC through diverse channels, including its site, which has had virtually 28 million views, and its Line established account, which is followed by near 2.8 million users. Its Facebook page has 120, 000 followers, and it is also active on X, TikTok and Instagram.
Since December 2022, the ministry has also partnered with the government’s Pao Tang app to alert users about fake news and online scams. The average number of monthly alerts last year was 23.5 million.
Additionally, partnerships have been established with 16 Thai banks and media outlets to raise awareness of fake news. Additionally, a memorandum of understanding with the Thai Media Fund, a public organization dedicated to promoting media literacy, has been signed in order to provide factual information to the general public.
The AFNC emphasizes developing understanding and working with its partners to provide accurate information to the public, according to Mr. Prasert.
” In the future, we will use AI to enhance the verification of news to identify whether it’s fake, distorted, or accurate. This effort will help to lessen the losses that people suffer from falling for scams that use social media as a means of deception.