DAR ES SALAAM: OF late there has been unfounded rumours of some people driving around the country kidnapping children and on authoritative tracing, this is a pure fake news that should not be allowed to circulate.
We must not allow such fake news, or information disorder, to do rounds in the peaceful country like Tanzania, because they are intentionally falsified to make the truth hard to find, cause unnecessary panic in the public and can also be one of the leading sources of danger to personal security.
If you are in the game of circulating fake news or sharing unfounded news for whatever reason(s), kindly, refrain from it.
We all know that social media has now created an environment where anyone with an agenda can publish falsehoods as if they were truths.
People can be paid to post fake news on behalf of someone else or automated programmes, often called bots, can publish auto-generated fake news.
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The motivations as to why people create and distribute fake news are as numerous as there are individual opinions. From the grassroots, we must fight the proliferation of fake news, because they are generally meant to discredit truth.
If anyone has any information about the existence of such people kidnapping children, as a peaceloving citizen, you are encouraged to tip State organs like the Police and your information will be treated with confidentiality.
So how do you protect yourself from fake news? The most effective way is to only trust something once you can verify it. In today’s fast-paced world of social media, fake news surrounds us every day.
If you are not careful, you run the risk of believing and acting upon it. Take the time to follow these basic steps to help ensure you make informed decisions based on facts.
First-consider the source: Think about the actual source of the news. What does the source stand for? What are their objectives?
Multiple sources: Don’t just rely on a single article. The more you read from various sources, the more likely you can draw accurate conclusions.
Also consider diverse sources and perspectives, for example, news from the government’s reliable source.
We must wholly support the government to unearth those who spread fake news and for your information, if there is anything strange in the society like the outbreak of a disease, it is the duty of the government to first share the information, not an individual in the social media.
In every country, there’s a government spokesperson or people authorized to talk on behalf of the State, if you are usurping such powers to spread fake news in the social media, be notified that this is a criminal offence that is punishable by the law.
