“Ahok: Do you think we want to build mosques and send mosque caretakers on the haj?”

That incendiary statement was in fact an edited version of a headline from a kompas.com article regarding a statement made by Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, who was defending himself after making a comment many conservative Muslims have deemed blasphemous. Ahok sought to remind people that many of his programs, such as building mosques, are supporting Muslims.

The original headline was “Ahok: Do you think we’re lying about building mosques and sending mosque caretakers on the haj?”

However, the damage had been done. The edited headline was widely circulated on social media and messaging apps and was crucial in mobilizing thousands of people to join a rally against the Christian-Chinese incumbent on Nov. 4.

However, the government is finally taking notice.

“Right now, our country is being bombarded with fake news produced by bogus media outlets. We have an example of a website publishing a story saying that China wants to take over the country by citing a bogus claim that there are 10 million illegal Chinese immigrants in the country,” Communications and Information Ministry special staffer Henri Subiakto told The Jakarta Post.

Fake news is a powerful tool to sway voters because it can spread from one person to another through social media and messaging apps, without the filters of traditional media channels.

“Maybe the provocateurs only make up 10 percent of the population, but the effect could multiply because it appeals to members of the public who already feel hatred and disillusionment,” Henri said.

Henri said that bogus news sites set up for political purposes, whether active or defunct, could help a candidate win an election and destroy their rival candidates.

Over the weekend, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo expressed concern about the polarization of opinions surrounding the 2017 Jakarta gubernatorial race.

Jokowi also warned that social media platforms were easily used to spread slanderous information, something that he is familiar with after being the target of several smear campaigns during the 2014 presidential election.

During the race, Jokowi was accused of many things, including being of Chinese descent and a Christian while in reality he is a Javanese Muslim.

On Monday, Google announced that it would ban websites that peddled fake news from using its online advertising service, while Facebook said it would not display ads on sites with misleading or illegal content, including fake news sites.

Following the internet giant’s move, the Indonesian government also readied plans to crack down on fake news on the internet.

Henri said that the government could launch such an initiative.

“Until now, we haven’t adopted that policy. But the new Electronic Information and Transaction (ITE) Law has given us a stronger legal basis [to enforce the policy],” Henri said. “It’s about time social media is cleansed of bogus and illegal pages.”

According to Article 40 of the ITE Law, the government has the authority to cut access to electronic content that violates the law.

Henri said the policy would only be enforced on bogus sites, not legitimate mass media outlets.

Political researcher Arya Fernandes of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) said that educating the public was the most effective method to mitigate the impact of false information.

“The internet is like a tsunami. Even if there are attempts to block it, it will still come. So voter education is important,” he told the Post.

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