Combating fake news and misinformation on social media.

Many cases of posting false information have been dealt with.

Recently, the misuse of social media to slander, defame, and insult the reputation of agencies and organizations, as well as the dignity of individuals, and to negatively impact social life, has become very complex.

Authorities have taken strict action against violators. For example, on May 10, 2024, the Ky Son District Police issued an administrative fine of 7.5 million VND to PVN (born in 1997), residing in Pha Khao village, Pha Danh commune, for providing and sharing false information that insulted the reputation of agencies and organizations (as stipulated in Point a, Clause 1, Article 101, Decree 15/2020/ND-CP dated February 3, 2020 of the Government).

The incident stemmed from an event that occurred around 9 PM on April 22, 2024, when PVN was driving a motorcycle with license plate 37F1.959.84 from Hoa Son village, Ta Ca commune to Muong Xen town. He encountered a signal from Task Force 373 (Ky Son District Police) requesting him to stop for an alcohol test. However, N. refused to comply and used defiant and inappropriate language towards the authorities.

Subsequently, this individual posted articles and videos containing false information about the district police force on the Facebook account "NC". During questioning, PVN admitted to its wrongdoing.

Previously, on November 2, 2023, the Do Luong District Police discovered an account posting a video of a group of female students fighting, along with many conflicting comments on social media. Through verification, the account was found to belong to Ms. TT D (born in 1985, residing in Nghia Thai commune, Tan Ky district), and the video she posted depicted an incident that occurred on September 23, 2023, where several students, due to personal conflicts, had a dispute leading to a fight. Afterward, they resolved the matter themselves and went home.

Although she was not a witness and did not know the full nature of the incident, only seeing the video that went viral, Ms. TTD misinterpreted the content and posted false information on her personal account, causing public panic. During questioning by the police, Ms. TTD admitted that due to her lack of caution and her hasty posting of the information without thoroughly investigating the matter, she posted it on her personal account.

The police in Do Luong district, in coordination with the police in Tan Ky district, issued an administrative penalty decision against Ms. TTD for 7.5 million VND for providing and sharing fabricated information that caused public panic.

Similarly, in June 2023, a woman residing in Quynh Thanh commune, Quynh Luu district, named TVC (born in 1993), was also fined 7.5 million VND by authorities for using her Facebook account VCM to post false and distorted information about an incident in which several unidentified individuals attacked the commune's People's Committee office in Dak Lak province.

At the police station, the suspect confessed that while accessing social media, he read information about the incident in Dak Lak and, without thoroughly investigating, posted untrue and unverified content on his personal account, insulting the reputation of the local government and the police force (violating point a, clause 1, Article 101 of Government Decree No. 15/2020/ND-CP dated February 3, 2020, regulating administrative sanctions in the fields of postal services, telecommunications, radio frequencies, information technology, and electronic transactions (amended and supplemented by Decree No. 14/2022/ND-CP)).

After working with the police, Ms. TVC removed the post and published a correction.

According to authorities, despite intensified efforts to raise awareness and crack down on the spread of fake news and misinformation on social media platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Viber, WeChat, and Zalo, fake news and misinformation continue to appear for various reasons, causing public confusion and affecting local security and order.

Furthermore, social media is also thoroughly exploited by hostile forces and opportunists as a tool to undermine the Party and the State, spreading distorted and malicious information, especially before and during elections; confidence votes; and major national and local holidays, events, and anniversaries.

At a recent meeting of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee, Mr. Dinh Xuan Khoa, Deputy Head of the Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department (Nghe An Provincial Police), stated that in the first few months of 2024 alone, authorities promptly detected, combated, and handled 27 cases involving the provision and sharing of fake information, false information, distortions, slander, and defamation of the reputation of agencies, organizations, and the honor and dignity of individuals. As a result, administrative penalties were imposed on 12 cases, collecting 75 million VND for the State budget.

In addition, law enforcement agencies have investigated and clarified 26 cases, cracked 23 major cases, and arrested 215 individuals involved in using cyberspace to commit crimes.

Building a people's security posture on social media.

Vietnamese law, primarily the Penal Code and the Cybersecurity Law, strictly prohibits acts of disseminating false or fabricated information, infringing upon honor, reputation, or dignity, causing damage to socio-economic activities, hindering the operation of state agencies or public officials, and infringing upon the legitimate rights and interests of agencies, organizations, and individuals.

Accordingly, the act of posting fabricated or false information that causes public panic may be subject to administrative penalties under points a and d, clause 1, Article 101 of Government Decree 15/2020/ND-CP dated February 3, 2020, or criminal prosecution under Article 288 of the 2015 Penal Code on the crime of "Illegally providing or using information on computer networks and telecommunication networks". The highest administrative penalties are fines ranging from VND 200 million to VND 1 billion or imprisonment from 2 to 7 years.

If information is disseminated for malicious purposes that causes significant consequences affecting social security and order, in addition to being fined, the offender also faces the risk of imprisonment.

Therefore, the police recommend that social media users strictly abide by the law; be vigilant when receiving information, especially articles and videos whose content and nature are unclear, or whose sources are unofficial; absolutely do not post or share information that violates the law, insults honor and dignity, or affects organizations or individuals; and do not use offensive language or violate moral standards on social media. "Verifying information before posting or sharing is extremely necessary to avoid legal consequences and maintain public order and security," a representative of the relevant agency emphasized.

To effectively prevent and combat activities using cyberspace to infringe upon national security and social order, along with solutions to strengthen propaganda work in various forms; and strictly handle violations to increase educational and deterrent effects… on November 6, 2023, the People's Committee of Nghe An province issued Decision No. 29 on regulations on speaking to and providing information to the press; handling information published and broadcast in the press and information reflected on social media by state administrative agencies in the province.

It clearly states that when inaccurate or partially inaccurate information is found on social media regarding the performance of duties or official functions of agencies, or of officials and employees within agencies, units, or localities, the head of the state administrative agency shall send a written request to the Provincial People's Committee and the Department of Information and Communications to handle the organization or individual that posted or disseminated the false information on social media.

The decision also states: When officials, civil servants, and public employees discover false or inaccurate information on social media regarding the performance of their duties or public service, they must report it in writing (clearly stating the inaccurate information) to the head of the agency or locality where they work for timely action.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the Cybersecurity Subcommittee, Comrade Le Hong Vinh - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - emphasized the role and importance of cybersecurity; preventing and combating harmful and toxic information; fake news and misinformation in the new era.

At the same time, it is requested that all sectors, localities, and units mobilize resources and focus on building a people's security posture, creating a comprehensive strength to prevent and combat all types of crimes in cyberspace; strengthen the review and promptly and strictly handle violations of the law and crimes using high technology, especially acts of posting and sharing harmful and toxic information against the Party and the State in cyberspace...