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Director General of Information and Public Communication at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Usman Kansong. (ANTARA/Fathur Rochman) - 

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics is continuing to bolster efforts to increase people's digital literacy in a bid to prevent hoaxes from spreading, a ministry's official stated.

Until 2021, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics had implemented the digital literacy program for around 12.5 million Indonesian people.

"Over 10 million Indonesians participated in our digital literacy program and have become digitally literate this year," Director General of Information and Public Communication at the Ministry of Communication and Informatics Usman Kansong stated in Tangerang on Wednesday.

According to Kansong, digital literacy could prevent hoaxes from spreading. In addition, it would help create a better digital space, with more citizens possessing skills in using social media.

The ministry instills digital skills, digital ethics, digital culture, and digital security among members of the community.

Digital skills help people to become adept at using digital technology, while digital ethics educate people on how to use digital technology wisely and ethically.

Digital culture educates the public to use social media by prioritizing cultural values, such as the values of Pancasila, nationalism, and diversity, he added.

By instilling them, the ministry encourages people to not make and spread hoaxes, Kansong noted.

"Let us fill public spaces with good messages," he stressed.

The Ministry of Communication and Informatics has targeted that by the end of 2024, as many as 50 million Indonesians will have received the basic level of digital literacy training.

In addition to digital literacy, the ministry continues to monitor the cyberspace to prevent the spread of harmful content, including hoaxes.

Kansong said his ministry utilizes artificial intelligence technology called AIS and has a special team for capturing negative content. The ministry also receives the community's reports on negative content.

When negative content is found, the Ministry of Communication and Informatics will take down the content, he noted//ANT