Healthy behavior online

On October 31st, during discussions in Group 12 (comprising the National Assembly delegations from Dong Thap and Quang Ngai provinces) regarding the draft Law on Cybersecurity, National Assembly deputies proposed adding a provision stipulating the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations in disseminating information and mobilizing the people to practice a cultured lifestyle and healthy behavior in cyberspace.

Protecting state secrets is important, but the use of classified information should also be avoided.

Regarding the amendment and supplementation of several articles of the Law on National Defense, Security and Industrial Mobilization, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong stated that this time, the draft Law stipulates the security industrial complex, comprising core security enterprises as the nucleus, with members including state-owned enterprises, non-state enterprises, and even foreign enterprises if they meet the conditions and standards of a security industrial complex. At the same time, it assigns the Government the task of specifying the functions, duties, and powers of the security industrial complex in detail.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly , Lieutenant General Tran Quang Phuong, delivers a speech. Photo: Ho Long

Regarding the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on International Treaties, Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong noted that there is a situation of "many treaties being signed," but implementation remains limited. The focus should be on ensuring effective implementation. All ministries, sectors, and localities are responsible for organizing the implementation of international treaties. Therefore, the law is being enacted to promote the organization and implementation of international treaties.

At the same time, it is necessary to continue to codify international treaties to which Vietnam is a signatory. This is a great responsibility of the National Assembly and the Government . The Vice Chairman of the National Assembly suggested studying the implementation of international treaties through oversight, and if possible, organizing joint oversight with other countries, in order to ensure better implementation.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Tran Quang Phuong also expressed concern about the draft Law on Cybersecurity regarding state management responsibilities, noting that the current regulations are scattered. Therefore, he suggested that research should focus on stipulating that the Government should only provide detailed regulations, in line with the spirit of the Law on Government Organization. Accordingly, the tasks and powers of ministries should be delegated to the Government, with the principle that "the Government should assign tasks to ministries with specific expertise accordingly." The National Assembly should not specify what Ministry A or Ministry B should do in the draft Law.

Regarding the draft Law on Protection of State Secrets (amended), the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly stated that the draft Law clearly defines what constitutes top secret, but suggested that it needs to be more specific to prevent leaks. He also requested clarification on what constitutes a particularly serious, very serious, and serious leak.

A scene from the discussion at Group 12. Photo: Ho Long

The draft law clearly defines which agencies and levels have the authority to classify classified, top secret, and secret information, and which agencies have the authority to declassify it.

The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly stated that the issue is how to both protect state secrets and determine the extent to which they can be declassified for implementation, and who is permitted to copy, reproduce, and declassify them. The resolution of this relationship should be left to the Government to regulate.

"Some declassified content is no longer classified, but some declassified content is not completely secret, but rather downgraded in terms of its classification level, possibly from top secret to highly secret or secret," the Vice Chairman of the National Assembly noted, adding that the draft law must protect state secrets, but also avoid the misuse of classified information.

Establish a mechanism for receiving and responding to information from citizens regarding cybersecurity violations.

Commenting on the draft Law on Cybersecurity, National Assembly Deputy Luong Van Hung (Quang Ngai) suggested clarifying the concept of "ensuring data security" to avoid overlap and conflict with the Law on Network Information Security and the Law on Personal Data Protection; emphasizing the principle of balancing cybersecurity and protecting citizens' privacy, ensuring harmony between the requirements of state management and individual freedoms.

Regarding the prevention and handling of cyber security breaches, Representative Luong Van Hung agreed with the regulations on preventing and removing false, distorted, and divisive information that undermines national unity and ethnic groups. However, he suggested that the law should clearly define the criteria and procedures for determining what constitutes "distortion and falsehood" to avoid arbitrary application and ensure the people's right to freedom of speech and social criticism as stipulated in the Constitution.

National Assembly Deputy Luong Van Hung (Quang Ngai) delivers a speech. Photo: Ho Long

Regarding the responsibilities of People's Committees at all levels, National Assembly Deputy Luong Van Hung proposed adding regulations on the coordination mechanism between the People's Committees and the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committees and political and social organizations at all levels in the work of disseminating information and mobilizing people to participate in ensuring cybersecurity at the grassroots level. Further research is needed on policies to support training and digital skills development for officials of the Fatherland Front and political and social organizations at all levels to enhance their role in social supervision and criticism in the field of cybersecurity.

Noting that regulations regarding the responsibilities of organizations and individuals using cyberspace are still general and do not clearly define the responsibility of account holders in cases where their accounts are exploited for violations, Representative Luong Van Hung proposed clarifying the principle of "only taking action when there is fault" and adding the obligation to promptly notify authorities when violations are detected. He also suggested adding the right of users to access, know, and complain when their personal data is collected and processed illegally.

At the same time, it is proposed to establish a mechanism for receiving and responding to information from citizens regarding cybersecurity violations, in order to improve coordination and transparency in management.

Representative Luong Van Hung also suggested that the drafting committee consider adding a provision on the role of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and its member organizations in disseminating information and mobilizing the people to practice a cultured lifestyle and healthy behavior in cyberspace; detecting, reporting, and denouncing acts that violate cybersecurity, thereby contributing to strengthening the "people's security posture in cyberspace" in the new situation.

Regarding Article 28, the draft Law on Protection of State Secrets (amended) stipulates the transitional provisions as follows: "If the period of protection of state secrets ends before the effective date of this Law, the period of protection of state secrets must be extended in accordance with Article 20 of this Law, starting from the date of extension."

According to National Assembly Deputy Luong Van Hung, the above regulation is understood to mean that all cases where the period for protecting state secrets ends before the effective date of this Law must be extended. This is unreasonable for cases where the period for protecting state secrets has expired but declassification would not endanger national interests.

National Assembly Deputy Pham Van Hoa (Dong Thap) delivers a speech. Photo: Ho Long

Therefore, the delegates proposed the following adjustments and additions: “ In cases where the period of state secret protection expires before the effective date of this Law, a review must be conducted to carry out declassification or extension in accordance with Article 20 if declassification would still endanger national interests…”.

National Assembly Deputy Pham Van Hoa (Dong Thap) also suggested that the amendment of the Law on Protection of State Secrets must absolutely avoid the abuse of classified information.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/ung-xu-lanh-manh-บน-khong-gian-mang-10393850.html