By: Gema Iva Kirana )*
The 2024 Simultaneous Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) will soon take place and as has become a trend in recent years, the threat of hoaxes and hate speech is once again haunting the digital space. The Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) together with the General Elections Supervisory Body (Bawaslu) have asked all parties to work together to combat misleading information in order to create a peaceful and democratic political climate.
This invitation, in addition to targeting digital platforms, also expects active participation from the public to be wiser in filtering and disseminating information.
The Director General of Public Information and Communication of the Ministry of Communication and Informatics, Prabunindya Revta Revolusi, highlighted the increasingly worrying number of hoaxes circulating related to the Presidential Election (Pilpres) and Regional Elections. Based on Kominfo data, from January to August 2024, there were 1,195 hoax issues related to the Presidential Election. This number is predicted to increase as the implementation of the Simultaneous Regional Elections approaches.
The hoaxes that are spread are not only disinformation that misleads the public, but also malinformation that deliberately distorts facts for the benefit of certain groups. Both types of false information are very dangerous because they can affect public perception of the ongoing democratic process. As a result, public trust in the election process can decrease, even triggering political instability.
Prabunindya said that digital platforms play an important role in handling the spread of hoaxes. He emphasized that these platforms must play an active role in filtering information circulating in their digital space. With good collaboration between the government, platform organizers, and the community, it is hoped that the spread of false information can be reduced.
Hoaxes and hate speech have a high destructive power against the socio-political order, especially in a tense political situation such as the regional elections. To deal with this, the Ministry of Communication and Information has invited digital platform organizers to participate in filtering content that has the potential to cause hatred and division.
With the technology they have, platforms such as social media and instant messaging apps should be able to detect and remove problematic content before it spreads further.
However, this responsibility cannot only be placed on digital platform organizers. The community also plays a crucial role in identifying correct information and not being influenced by hoaxes. In this digital era, every individual has the ability to become a disseminator of information.
Therefore, digital literacy is absolutely necessary so that people can filter information critically and not be easily influenced by fake news spread by irresponsible parties.
In addition to Kominfo, Bawaslu has also taken preventive measures by holding digital patrols. One of the areas that has been actively carrying out this patrol is East Java Province. The Head of Bawaslu East Java, A. Warits, explained that digital patrols were carried out as an effort to supervise the digital media realm, especially during the 2024 Pilkada campaign period.
This patrol involves the Cyber Working Group (Pokja) which is tasked with monitoring negative content or hoaxes circulating on social media and other digital platforms. Bawaslu does not only focus on hoaxes, but also hate speech that can cloud the political atmosphere ahead of the election. Every finding will be followed up with firm action based on authentic evidence found.
Preventive measures like these are very important considering the potential damage that can be caused by hoaxes and hate speech. False information spread in cyberspace can quickly influence public opinion and create a wrong perception of a candidate pair, political party, or even the election system itself.
In addition to the threat of hoaxes and hate speech, Bawaslu is also preparing steps to prevent money politics which is often a problem in every election. Warits stated that conventional supervision is still carried out to prevent money politics practices that have the potential to damage the integrity of the Pilkada.
Bawaslu has also coordinated with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) to anticipate potential natural disturbances that could affect the distribution of election logistics, especially in remote areas such as Masalembu Island and Sapeken. All of this is done to ensure that the Pilkada process runs smoothly and transparently, without any interference from parties trying to undermine the democratic process.
A smart and critical society in receiving information is the key to the success of the 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections. Digital literacy is an important component that must continue to be improved, both through educational programs from the government, communities, and non-governmental institutions. With good literacy, the public will be better able to filter the information they receive and will not be easily influenced by fake news spread for political interests.
Kominfo and Bawaslu have made various efforts to counter hoaxes, but without full support from the community, these efforts will be difficult to produce results. Therefore, it is important for every individual to be wiser and more careful in spreading information, especially in sensitive times leading up to the Pilkada.
The 2024 Simultaneous Regional Elections are not only about choosing leaders, but also about maintaining social harmony and democratic order. Every party, be it the government, digital platform organizers, or the community, has a great responsibility to ensure that this democratic process runs peacefully.
Fighting hoaxes and hate speech is one of the important steps to maintain public trust and create honest, fair, and transparent regional elections. Let us actively participate together in maintaining the integrity of the 2024 regional elections, for a better future for Indonesia.
)* Space Analyst Persada Institute