Facebook accounts that spread false information about child abductions will be punished.

On July 14th, the Quang Binh Provincial Police announced that they are finalizing the paperwork to prepare for penalties against several individuals who posted and shared fabricated and inaccurate information that caused public panic on social media.

False and unverified information has inadvertently enabled malicious actors to exploit the situation. (Screenshot from Facebook)

Recently, unverified rumors about child abductions have been circulating in Quang Binh province. Many personal Facebook pages have reported that several individuals have repeatedly attempted to abduct children in the area but failed; there have also been untrue rumors about cases of abduction and organ harvesting.

The information spread rapidly, causing public panic and disrupting people's lives. After initial verification, it was found that the information was completely fabricated and inaccurate.

"When receiving information, people need to verify it and be cautious before sharing it widely on social media, because sharing false information will inadvertently abet malicious individuals, affecting people's lives and social security and order," said a police leader in Quang Binh province.

It is known that the act of "providing false information, slandering, distorting, or insulting the reputation of agencies, organizations, and the honor and dignity of individuals" will be punishable by a fine of 20-30 million VND; a warning, non-custodial rehabilitation for up to 2 years, or imprisonment from 3 months to 2 years for those who fabricate and spread information that they know to be false in order to insult the honor or cause damage to the legitimate rights and interests of others, or fabricate that others have committed crimes and report them to competent authorities.

According to Lao Dong newspaper