Convenient interactive channel for people

Recently, the Ministry of Public Security has officially launched the Zalo Official Account (OA) on the Zalo platform called "Ministry of Public Security", to enhance connection with people on the digital platform. This is a channel that provides official information, and continuously updates warnings about crimes and violations of the law.

Timely, convenient

Through Zalo, people can ask questions, contact the hotline or send reports of suspicious behavior to the Ministry of Public Security quickly and conveniently. The Ministry of Health , the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control... have also proactively deployed Zalo OA accounts to convey timely and accurate information to people.

At the local level, many units have created mini apps (small applications on Zalo) to improve the public service experience. For example, the People's Committee of Ward 13, Go Vap District; the People's Committee of Ward 4, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City have deployed mini apps, allowing people to schedule meetings with citizens, send comments and feedback, receive notifications, look up public services and participate in satisfaction surveys; the GoBus Ho Chi Minh City mini app provides detailed information about bus routes such as routes, operating hours and ticket prices. Some other provinces and cities such as Dak Lak with the mini app "Dak Lak Truc Tuyen", Ba Ria - Vung Tau with the mini app "BR-VT Smart", support scheduling administrative procedures, look up planning, monitor the progress of processing documents and access public services...

According to Zalo statistics, there are currently more than 15,700 state agencies using Zalo OA and more than 400 mini apps of state agencies and utilities in operation. Not only stopping at the Zalo platform, agencies such as the Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Technology, National Assembly Information Portal... have also set up social networking channels (MXH) on Facebook (with a blue tick) with followers ranging from tens of thousands to millions. Similarly, on TikTok and YouTube, many agencies have also built their own channels to convey information to people in a vivid and intuitive way.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hanh (residing in Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City) said that through following official channels, she often receives timely warnings about scams and crimes. Mini apps on Zalo also effectively support in looking up information, making appointments with the authorities or sending feedback on issues occurring in the locality. However, Ms. Hanh shared that the interface of some mini apps is still not really friendly to the elderly, causing difficulties in operation. "If there were more intuitive and easier-to-understand instructions, it would be more convenient for people" - she said.

Mr. Le Minh Phuc (living in Ho Chi Minh City) also suggested: "Searching for Zalo OA accounts of ministries and agencies sometimes still encounters obstacles, because the system does not correctly understand the keywords entered by users. This is a fundamental point that should be improved soon to enhance the experience for people".

Ward 13 People's Committee, Go Vap District, Ho Chi Minh City deploys mini app on Zalo platform with many utilities for people

Beware of fake social media channels

Regarding social media channels, authorities have recently discovered many fake fanpages. Specifically, the fanpage named "Receiving, Processing, Recovery and Refunding of Suspended Capital" used the image and information of the Ministry of Finance, claiming to be the representative of the Ministry of Finance "recovering money" or the account "Security Department - Ministry of Public Security" posted articles with links, announcing support to get money back for victims of online fraud. Notably, these fanpages also have blue ticks. Authorities have confirmed that these are fake Facebooks and advised people and businesses to be highly vigilant against these posts. The Ministry of Public Security's website has also issued a warning about the situation of many social media fanpages named "Cyber ​​Security Department" or "Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department" providing legal services to support citizens such as consulting on getting back scammed money, supporting the handling of cases of property fraud. The Ministry of Public Security affirmed that the Department of Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention does not have the function of supporting citizens in recovering fraudulent money. "The Department of Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention is in the process of building an official, authenticated information page to limit counterfeiting. In the immediate future, it will coordinate with functional units to block and filter fake links and accounts on cyberspace," the Ministry of Public Security stated.

Mr. Le K. Hoang - CEO of Ecom Studio - said that many fanpages with blue ticks that were exploited by scammers were bought from abroad, especially from the US, and then changed their names, profile pictures and content to impersonate authorities. The loophole lies in the fact that after granting a blue tick, Facebook does not re-censor when the fanpage changes information, making it easy for users to get confused. "People should carefully check the fanpage before interacting, including the time of operation, number of posts, level of interaction and feedback from the community. Absolutely do not transfer money according to instructions from fanpages claiming to be state agencies without checking with official sources such as ministry/industry websites or verified Zalo OA accounts" - Mr. Hoang noted.

Information security expert Nguyen Huu Nguyen proposed that strict sanctions should be added to the impersonation of public authorities on social networks. According to Mr. Nguyen, a coordination mechanism should be established between authorities and domestic technology companies to monitor, detect and give early warnings of fake fanpages, preventing fraudulent behavior from the early stages.

Tighten verification process

According to Mr. Le K. Hoang, Facebook needs to tighten the post-verification monitoring process, especially when there is a change in the name or content of the fanpage. At the same time, the authorities should publicize the list of official channels to help people look up quickly. Improving digital skills, especially for the elderly, is also an urgent solution.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/kenh-tuong-tac-tien-ich-cho-nguoi-dan-196250412205440028.htm