The meeting was attended by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat, Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhi, Minister of Justice Adnan Fanjari, Minister of Awqaf Osama Al-Azhari, Supreme Council for Media Regulation Chairman Khaled Abdel Aziz, National Press Authority Chairman Abdel-Sadiq Al-Shorbagi, National Media Authority Chairman Ahmed Al-Muslimani, Food Safety Authority Chairman Tarek El-Houby, and senior officials from relevant state bodies.
Madbouly began by highlighting the “huge volume of rumours and fabricated stories” shared daily across social media platforms. He also pointed to the false narratives that anti-Egypt media abroad circulate as facts to unsettle society.
The PM stressed that the state already deploys clear mechanisms — including transparent publication of accurate data — as part of a coordinated national strategy to counter misinformation.
However, he emphasized the importance of standing firm against those who intentionally desire to harm the Egyptian state.
“We welcome all constructive criticism of government performance,” Madbouly said, adding that “We closely follow and engage with comments shared online or in the media. But what concerns us are deliberate attempts to undermine confidence in the national economy, especially at a time when economic indicators are showing positive trends.”
Madbouly cited several recent examples of misleading posts circulating on social media as reflecting a “concerted effort to create confusion and spread baseless claims.”
He stated that despite the government's efforts to counter false allegations, legal measures must be taken against those who fabricate incidents or spread misinformation about the national economy.
During the meeting, Osama El-Gohary, Assistant to the Prime Minister and Head of the Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Centre, presented the features of a new AI-driven digital platform currently in pilot operation.
The platform conducts rapid content analysis of published news or images to verify accuracy within seconds. It is expected to be launched soon.
Cabinet Spokesperson Mohamed El-Homsani said the meeting reviewed the efforts of key ministries and state bodies — including Awqaf, Interior, Communications, and Youth and Sports — in countering misinformation and false narratives. It also examined the roles that media regulators, national press, and broadcasting authorities could play in this regard.
El-Homsani noted that Egypt’s current legal framework includes multiple penalties for publishing false news deemed harmful to society or public interest. These legal tools, he said, provide the necessary level of deterrence.
El-Homsani added that the participants agreed to activate monitoring units tasked with tracking rumours and false reports on websites and social media platforms to initiate immediate legal procedures against violators.
He further indicated that the government is studying tougher penalties for individuals who deliberately undermine society and the national economy through fabricated content.
The meeting concluded with an agreement to unify the efforts of all ministries and state bodies within a comprehensive national strategy to combat misinformation and rumours. Officials will also develop measurable implementation tools to assess the effectiveness of these measures.
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