When the truth is distorted
Fake news, false news, is essentially information that is not true or has been added or subtracted, changing the nature of events and phenomena, mixing real and fake information, or even completely fabricated.
Fake news and false information are often created by people with bad motives, with the aim of sabotage, causing internal disunity or undermining people's trust in authorities and cadres. Their tricks are not new but very sophisticated: they often cut and paste information, distort context, make baseless accusations or take advantage of part of the truth to distort the whole issue. This information is often unverified, has no clear origin and is spread quickly on social media platforms - unofficial information channels that are difficult to control.
When false information spreads, especially information related to leaders, it causes information disorder, affects social stability and damages the honor and reputation of organizations and individuals, especially those who are in leadership and management positions; causes confusion in public opinion, potentially eroding social trust. When the information environment is chaotic and unreliable, it can negatively affect investment and business, hindering local socio -economic development efforts.
Recently, when the whole country is carrying out a revolution to reorganize administrative units and streamline the apparatus, some subjects have taken advantage of the spreading power of social networks to organize activities to spread fake news about the plan to merge provinces and cities, in order to disrupt society, sabotage the Party and the State; spread half-true, half-false news, even slander to defame and destroy others, erode trust in society, sabotage the revolution, and complicate the security and order situation in the locality.
Meanwhile, passively receiving information without verification not only makes many people easily become victims of fake news but also unintentionally helps bad guys spread harmful information. The story of NGK, born in 2002, residing in Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu city is a proof. Recently, before information about the implementation of the policy of merging provincial-level administrative units, NGK used his personal Facebook account to comment on the Fanpage "Beat Ha Nam " with fabricated content, distorting some content about the history, land and people of other localities, causing division in feelings, solidarity between officials and people of localities, causing outrage in public opinion...
In response to this behavior, on April 26, 2025, the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention (Provincial Police) issued a decision to administratively fine NGK 5 million VND for providing and sharing false and distorted information on social networks about the arrangement of provincial-level administrative units...
NKG is just one of 20 cases that have been administratively sanctioned by provincial authorities in the first 6 months of 2025 for providing and sharing false and distorted information on social networks.
Decisive action from authorities
According to information from the Provincial Police: Currently, hostile and reactionary forces are taking full advantage of cyberspace to propagate bad and toxic information to sabotage the Party and the State. In addition, some subjects spread fake and untrue information with offensive content, defaming the honor, affecting the reputation of organizations and individuals, including leaders at all levels, creating bad public opinion, affecting security and order.
In that situation, the functional forces of the Provincial Police have done a good job of advising and mobilizing forces in the political system to actively participate in the fight against refuting, contributing to repelling false and hostile information and viewpoints, neutralizing plots and tricks to sabotage ideology, protecting the Party's ideological foundation... Along with that, proactively arranging forces to regularly follow the area, coordinate to prevent and handle information that violates the law on the Internet; strengthen coordination and extensive propaganda to raise awareness for cadres, party members and people of all walks of life in proactively preventing, self-managing, self-protecting, and preventing fake news, untrue news, and toxic information.
The leader of the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention (Provincial Police) said: For serious cases that greatly affect security and order or intentionally defame or distort, the investigation agencies will initiate criminal proceedings in accordance with the provisions of law.
Along with the police force, in recent times, the State management agency in the field of communications has also actively participated in preventing and handling bad and toxic information on cyberspace. From the beginning of 2024 to March 2025, the Department of Information and Communications directed the Department of Information, Press and Publication to regularly review, monitor, detect and promptly handle information related to Ninh Binh province on the Internet. In particular, it has discovered and requested the administrators of Facebook Fanpages and Facebook account owners to remove 125 news, articles, videos, images... with content that is not in accordance with regulations, untrue, provocative, causing confusion for people on the Internet and social networks... At the same time, it has directed the Department Inspectorate to preside over and coordinate with relevant agencies and units to conduct inspections, checks, and rectify the activities of 56 subjects (enterprises, units, individuals in the fields of post, telecommunications, Internet, press, publishing, distribution...); administratively sanctioned 36 subjects with a total amount of more than 223 million VND, of which 22 social network account owners were fined with a total amount of 147 million VND for violations of regulations on: using Fanpages, social networks to post information that distorts and falsifies historical facts; providing false information that causes confusion among people; providing information that is not in accordance with good customs and traditions; Collecting and processing information of other organizations and individuals without consent or in violation of regulations; sharing false information, slandering organizations and individuals..., contributing to stabilizing the security, order and social safety situation in the area.
Comrade Dinh Tien Quang, Head of the Department of Information, Press and Publishing - Department of Culture and Sports (the Department of Information, Press and Publishing was merged from the Department of Information and Communications to the Department of Culture and Sports from March 1, 2025) said: In the past time, the Department of Information, Press and Publishing has actively and proactively coordinated effectively with the Police and relevant agencies and units to do a good job of monitoring, managing, detecting and promptly handling bad and toxic information, false information and information violating regulations on providing and using information on the Internet and in the province.
Many violators have been administratively sanctioned and some have been prosecuted for criminal liability for providing and using information in violation of regulations and laws. In the first 6 months of 2025 alone, nearly 100 news, articles, videos and images with false content and content violating regulations on management, provision and use of information on the internet, mainly on social networks Facebook, TikTok, etc. have been reviewed, detected and removed, and coordinated with units of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to remove nearly 100 news, articles, videos and images with false content, content that violates regulations on management, provision and use of information on the internet, mainly on social networks Facebook, TikTok, etc.
Join hands to build a safe cyberspace
The efforts of the authorities have affirmed their determination and uncompromising fight against violations, maintaining a safe and healthy information environment for the people. Any act of taking advantage of cyberspace to spread harmful information, especially defamatory and distorted arguments, will be strictly handled before the law.
However, the fight against fake news and false information cannot rely solely on the efforts of the authorities, but requires the participation of every citizen - the active subjects of social networks.
With its fast and widespread characteristics, information on the Internet is very difficult to manage and control. If users and information access do not have enough awareness and processing skills, social networks become a "double-edged sword", causing unpredictable consequences and huge implications, affecting not only an individual, a family but also the whole society.
The ancients said: "If you stumble, you can still recover/If you stumble, you can't say anything." Therefore, when participating in social networks, each person needs to uphold their responsibility for the information they share or discuss. Be smart social network users to avoid unfortunate consequences for themselves and society, because after all, "trouble comes from the mouth."
Lieutenant Colonel Pham Manh Dung, Deputy Head of the Department of Cyber Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention of the Provincial Police, recommended: “People should always verify the source of any information before reading, listening, watching and sharing, especially information that is sensational, negative or related to sensitive issues. Say no to sharing unverified information. Proactively report and denounce when discovering false information or fake news that shows signs of violating the law.”
To prevent fake news and false information, authorities need to strengthen the inspection, detection and resolute and strict handling of subjects who spread fake news and defame organizations and individuals. The public handling of typical cases contributes to ensuring the strictness, education and deterrence of the law. In addition, in each family and school, there must be education and orientation to create "resistance" for young people against risks, negative factors and illegal acts. The drastic participation of authorities, together with the cooperation of each citizen in the fight against, prevention and control of all types of crimes, including the problem of bad and toxic information, is a solid "shield" contributing to building a civilized society, respecting the law, the ultimate goal of which is to protect a peaceful life for the people.
Kieu An - Mai Lan
Source: https://baoninhbinh.org.vn/nang-cao-y-thuc-phap-luat-va-canh-giac-truoc-tin-gia-tin-106447.htm
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