The Chairperson of One Media Group, Minha Faiz Rashaad (Minnu) has said that serious action needs to be taken against the spread of false information and fake news on social media has increased exponentially which is violating the rights of many.

She made the remark at in her presentation on the topic of “Access to Digital Information in the Maldives” at the Open Talks held in New Delhi, India, on 9 October 2019. Th event was organized by India’s Go News, UNESCO to address the challenges in information spread in the region.

In her presentation, Minha noted that with the literacy population so high in the Maldives along with the access to the internet nation-wide, the country is witnessing a new age of free information. She said that similar to the rest of the world, online platforms have become the main resource for news in the country and while many people are taking advantage of the opportunity, the lack of regulation, there are serious issues to be noted.

The two main issues noted by the One Media Chairperson are online bullying and the spread of false information and fake news under the name of news outlets. And at an age where fake news has become an industry in some countries, the Maldives is needs quick intervention against the issue.

She noted that laws exist in relation to the freedom of information along with an appointed Information Commissioner. However, the responsibility of that position has not been fulfilled most efficiently so far. If not, the challenge facing through digital media can be reduced.

Minha also noted that political changes also affect the news media and highlighted the current government took office in 2018 and revoked the Anti-Defamation Law that threatened the journalistic freedom and noted that it was a green signal.

However, measures need to be taken through lawmakers to protect journalists from such threats in the first place.

Participants in the Open Talks include CEO of the Sri Lankan Press Institute, Kumar Lopez, the former Secretary of the Information Ministry of Bhutan, Kinley Dorji, CEO and Editor in Chief of ETV-Bangladesh, Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul and the Chairperson of the Amity Center for Linguistic Studies in India, Dr. Udaya Narayana Singh.

They all made keynote speeches on the challenges in the freedom of information.