Communications and Multimedia Minister Salleh Said Keruak has cited Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's statement on fake information to warn Malaysians not to easily believe in fabricated news online.

"I’ve said this before and I will say it again – verify before you vilify your source of news information.

"It is very unfortunate to know that many people still cling on to mistaken beliefs and theories that could even be decades old!" Salleh said in blog posting today.

Fabricated news stories and irresponsible online news sources spread misinformation in order to mislead or make money when others click on the site or article, he said.

"This makes fake news much more insidious than real news," he said.

"Mark Zuckerberg addresses the proliferation of fake news on his Facebook account.

"He said, 'The bottom line is: we take misinformation seriously. Our goal is to connect people with the stories they find most meaningful, and we know people want accurate information'.

"He shares how the Facebook community can help Facebook understand what is fake and what is not, as well as outlining some of the projects that are underway to minimise misinformation," Salleh said.

According to an analysis by BuzzFeed, a leading independent digital media company, hoaxes about the US politics were among the top-performing fake news content on Facebook in 2016, he said.

"In using social media and other communication platforms, we need to be responsible users, so don’t be too quick to hit the Share, Forward or RT (retweet) buttons without verifying the piece of news," Salleh added.