Warning against defamation on social networks

In the digital age, just a few dozen seconds of video on social media is enough to push a person or a legitimate business into the “eye of the storm” of public opinion. This shows that taking advantage of social media to slander and defame others can cause serious damage.

The store where the incident occurred.

"Famous" by accident

According to the reflection of Ms. Vo Thi Huyen, owner of the Huyen 2K Accessories-Cosmetics-General store, Ho Chi Minh City, at about 6:00 p.m. on August 21, 2025, a regular customer - owner of the TikTok account "Teacher..." came to buy goods. Recognizing the old customer, Ms. Huyen greeted and then left the store, leaving the staff to continue consulting and selling. During that time, this customer took pictures of the space and products at the store.

During the night and morning of August 22, Ms. Huyen's phone and social networks were flooded with messages and strange calls with insulting and threatening words. A series of "1 star" reviews appeared on the store's Google Maps, along with offensive comments on the Fanpage. Only when she searched for the TikTok account "Teacher..." did Ms. Huyen realize that she was being "stoned" because of a viral clip.

Below the comment section, many accounts searched for “who is that shop”, quickly “narrowed down” to Huyen 2K store through search suggestions such as “huyen_2k_phukien shop”, “huyen_2k_phukienshop”… then called for “1 star” reviews, leaving malicious comments, insulting the personal honor and brand of the store.

Not stopping there, after the “first video ”, on August 22, the account “Teacher…” continued to post 3 more videos, continuing to tell the story from the perspective of herself as the victim, thanking the online community for “getting justice back”, hoping “the shop owner will change”. These videos all attracted a large amount of interaction, further pushing the wave of attacks on the store.

Notably, on August 23, another TikTok account named “Y…” with about 1.7 million followers edited and reposted the above content with a sensational title: “Going shopping, the girl was so angry that she cried because she was slandered as a ‘competitor’s person’, the shop owner apologized after the noise but still defended herself?”. The video quickly reached hundreds of thousands of views and hundreds of comments, most of which continued to judge and condemn the shop owner based on one-sided information.

At the same time, a series of other accounts such as “Vach tra Huyen2k…”, “Gau Bong…”, “Meo Cam…” continuously posted videos and content attacking, ridiculing, and using harsh language towards Ms. Huyen and the store, calling on the online community to “boycott” and give “1 star” ratings. The one-way content streams, spread across many channels, turned a very normal buying and selling situation into a “scandal” on the internet.

As a result, the internet was flooded with insults and insults directed at Ms. Huyen. Many people continuously called, texted, cursed, and even threatened. Some people came to the store to film and live-stream with bad intentions, causing the store owner and staff to be in a constant state of anxiety and confusion.

In the subsequent complaints sent to the authorities, Ms. Huyen stated that the content posted and shared by the above accounts was untrue, slanderous, defamatory, and damaged the reputation, rights, and legitimate interests of her family and business.

Not only her honor, but also her family’s livelihood was severely affected. According to her, the store used to be one of the busiest in the area for many years, but after the “TikTok storm” hit, revenue immediately dropped by 50% per day compared to before, down to 80% compared to the same period last year. If this situation continues, the store will be forced to close and cease operations.

Freedom of speech does not mean the right to slander online

Ms. Vo Thi Huyen’s story is not an isolated case. Just from a personal shopping experience, a subjective way of telling it online, plus the “spreading” effect of users, a normal business store can potentially suffer great material and spiritual damage.

Current law clearly stipulates that the act of fabricating or spreading information that is clearly false, with the aim of seriously offending the honor, dignity, and reputation of others, causing damage to the rights and legitimate interests of organizations and individuals, can be handled with administrative, civil, and even criminal sanctions depending on the severity.

There are many things to ponder from this incident. Not every story on social networks is "true". Viewers need to be alert, not rush to "judge" from one side, not follow calls for "1 star" reviews, boycotts, because behind each account, each store is a person, a specific family. Those who post content must be clearly aware of their legal and ethical responsibilities. "Trending" and "attracting views" cannot stand above the honor and reputation of others. It is impossible to use the name of "review" or "recounting experiences" to exaggerate, attribute, and lead the online community to acts of attack and slander. Social networking platforms, schools, social organizations and authorities need to coordinate more closely in receiving feedback, quickly handling false content, and protecting victims. If cases like the one of Huyen 2K store are not considered and handled seriously, it will set a bad precedent, turning the internet into a place where “whoever speaks louder wins”. Freedom of speech is important, but it is not a “license” to insult, defame, and push others to the brink of bankruptcy. Social networks will only truly develop their positive aspects when each user knows how to stop appropriately.

Thuong Duc

Source: https://nhandan.vn/canh-bao-hanh-vi-vu-khong-tren-mang-xa-hoi-post923225.html