The fight against bad and toxic information: Everyone's responsibility!
(Baonghean) - Along with the strong development of the internet, social networks are "fertile ground" for spreading bad and toxic information. False information, distorting the Party and State's guidelines, policies, and policies, defaming organizations and individuals... not only cause public confusion but also affect political security, order, and social safety.
Many subjects were severely punished.
In Nghe An, through monitoring and fighting, the authorities have prosecuted and tried many opposition subjects who have committed acts of propaganda and sabotage against the Party and State through social networks with strict sentences before the law.
Typically, on November 15, 2019, the People's Court of Nghe An province sentenced defendant Nguyen Nang Tinh (hometown Quynh Hung commune, Quynh Luu) to 11 years in prison and 5 years of probation for the crime of "Making, storing, disseminating or propagating information, documents, and items against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam".
 |
| Nguyen Nang Tinh (from Quynh Hung commune, Quynh Luu district; residing in hamlet 6, Nghi Phu commune, Vinh city - Nghe An) was sentenced to 11 years in prison for the crime of "Making, storing, disseminating or propagating information and documents aimed at opposing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam" as prescribed in Clause 1, Article 117 of the Penal Code. Photo: document |
Previously, the Investigation Security Agency (Nghe An Police) discovered and collected 22 articles, videos, and images posted and shared on Nguyen Nang Tinh's Facebook page. It was shown that: Tinh, through his personal Facebook page, had connected with a number of extremist and reactionary subjects at home and abroad to write, film, distribute, post, share, and comment on content that distorted the nature of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam; distorted history, violated the people's government and the socialist regime; defamed the leaders of the Party and State; incited people to protest and oppose the government; posted documents with fabricated content, causing confusion among the people...
 |
| Nguyen Viet Dung, also known as "Dung Phi Ho" (right) at the trial for "Propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam" on April 12, 2018. Photo: File |
Previously, on April 12, 2018, the People's Court of Nghe An province sentenced defendant Nguyen Viet Dung, also known as "Dung phi ho", residing in Hau Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, to 7 years in prison and 5 years of probation for the crime of "Propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam". The trial clarified: During the period from April 30 to May 19, 2017, Nguyen Viet Dung posted on his personal Facebook page "Dung phi ho" many articles that he himself drafted, copied and edited personal opinions with content that propagated and distorted the guidelines, policies and lines of the Party and the State, slandered the people's government, distorted history, and defamed leaders in order to oppose the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
 |
| Le Dinh Luong, residing in Hop Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for "Activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government". Photo: document |
Also in 2018, on August 16, the People's Court of Nghe An province sentenced Le Dinh Luong, residing in Hop Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district, to 20 years in prison for "Activities aimed at overthrowing the people's government". The trial clarified: Le Dinh Luong was an active propagandist, attracting anti-government ideologies in Nghe An and Ha Tinh to join the terrorist organization Viet Tan. In particular, through his personal Facebook page "Lo Ngoc", Le Dinh Luong had many articles with content propagating, inciting, distorting, defaming the Party's policies and guidelines, the State's policies and laws, distorting history, defaming leaders; causing complications in security and order in the locality...
In addition to discovering and removing many websites, fanpages, Facebook pages, and Youtube channels with content that distorts the policies of the Party and the State, exaggerates incidents occurring at the grassroots level, incites marches and protests, complicates political security, order, and social safety... and strictly handles bad elements who have taken full advantage of social media to carry out their intentions to sabotage the State and our country's revolution. Recently, the authorities have taken strong measures to deter those who use social networks to post fabricated, unverified information for the purpose of attracting likes and views.
 |
| Cua Lo Town Police summoned the person who spread false information on social media about stealing pigs to be destroyed due to African swine fever. Photo: Document |
Typically, in October 2019, Cua Lo Town Police summoned Hoang Thi P., residing in Nghi Thu Ward, owner of Facebook Phan Beo to clarify the posting of false information on social networks about the theft of pigs to be destroyed due to African swine fever in Nghi Huong Ward (Cua Lo Town), affecting the psychology of farmers and consumers. Through the struggle, the account owner admitted that the information about the theft of pigs was not true, but only heard the traders gossiping at the market and then hastily posted it on Facebook...
Previously in July 2018, Ky Son District Police imposed an administrative fine of VND12.5 million, requested the deletion of comments and posted an apology on the personal page of an engineer of the Nam Mo Hydropower Plant repair team in Canh village, Ta Ca commune, Ky Son district for spreading false information related to the broken dike on Facebook, causing panic among the people.
 |
| Incorrect information about the dike about to break causes public panic. Photo: Document |
Cases like the above are not rare, and information often spreads very quickly on personal Facebook pages, causing social instability.
Responsibility is not one person's alone
Reality shows that false, bad, and toxic information on social networks often leaves unpredictable consequences, but very few people care. Because many people still think that social criticism and fighting bad information on social networks is the responsibility of the authorities, not theirs. A large number of people (including officials and party members) have the habit of liking, sharing, and commenting without reading carefully or verifying the information. That is a "loophole" for bad elements, dissatisfied subjects, and political opportunists to exploit to spread and disseminate false information on social networks.
 |
| Officials of the Quynh Lap Commune Party Committee (Hoang Mai Town) regularly update new information on the website for people to follow. Photo: KL |
Identifying the fight against bad and toxic information on social networks as a long-term battle, in recent times, in addition to the participation of functional agencies and media agencies, many localities and mass organizations in the province have paid attention to and grasped public opinion, proposing prevention solutions. Typically, the Party Committee of Quynh Lap commune (Hoang Mai town) issued Project 06 DA/DU on January 26, 2018 on "innovating and improving the quality of political and ideological education, propaganda, and dissemination of laws in conjunction with mass mobilization work".
In particular, it clearly states that "Each cadre and party member is encouraged to participate in ideological work on social networks, contributing to encouraging and promoting good things, fighting against and criticizing negative behaviors and refuting information that defames the Party and the State, and violent and vulgar information that goes against the cultural and ethical traditions of the Vietnamese people", and at the same time "strictly handling cadres and party members who use personal networks to go against the Party's policies and guidelines and the interests of the people".
 Along with the strong development of the internet, social networks are "fertile ground" for spreading bad and toxic information. Illustrative photo |
Understanding the characteristics of workers in industrial zones as young workers, the use of personal Facebook is very popular, the Provincial Federation of Labor has opened the page "Nghe An Provincial Federation of Labor" on Facebook. In addition to propagating and disseminating laws, updating new policies, answering and consulting on laws, this is also a means of providing official counter-information to fight against bad and toxic information, orienting information on prominent issues occurring in the province and in the country directly related to workers. Although it is only a pilot operation, the Facebook page of the Provincial Federation of Labor currently has about thousands of likes and followers.
 |
| Discussion "Youth Union and the use of social networks". Photo: Document |
As for Nghe An Provincial Youth Union, in order to strengthen education, orientation, and improve the skills of using social networks safely for young people, recently, the Provincial Youth Union Executive Committee has organized specialized conferences on the Law on Cyber Security; how to handle some political situations; how to filter and process public opinion information on social networks for young people. In addition, it directed grassroots youth organizations to organize a discussion on "Young people with the use of social networks". Thereby equipping young people with skills and awareness to turn their social networking pages into propaganda channels to spread good examples, new models, and good practices of agencies, units, and localities in the patriotic emulation movement and fight against fabricated, distorted information that causes public confusion.
 |
| Current affairs club meeting of Nghi Loc District Women's Union. Photo: document |
When problems arise in the area, many localities have proactively used a variety of information channels from indirect to direct such as through news clubs, law clubs, internal newsletters, newspapers, broadcasting systems... to promptly provide official information to officials, party members and people, avoiding confusion from the "sea of information" of unclear truth on social networks.
However, given the complex and unpredictable developments of conflicting information flows on cyberspace today. Especially during the time of Party Congresses at all levels, political opportunists and hostile forces often take advantage of spreading unverified information related to pressing and prominent issues of public concern to exaggerate weaknesses and limitations in the leadership, direction and administration of Party committees and authorities at all levels; lower the prestige of officials at all levels to reduce the trust of Party members and the people, causing social instability. |
| Everyone must be responsible when using social networks. Photo: KL |
In addition to strictly implementing the provisions of the Law on Cyber Security, each cadre and party member must raise their vigilance, spirit and responsibility in the fight against bad, toxic information, wrong and hostile views on social networks.
And each citizen also needs to be alert to "identify" the nature of information, and at the same time have a correct awareness of their civic responsibility when participating in social networks. Thereby, creating a combined strength to prevent and repel bad and toxic information that goes against national interests and the interests of the community.
