The Ministry of Justice has published appraisal documents for a draft decree on preventing and combating fake and false information. The draft was chaired and prepared by the Ministry of Public Security.

Under the draft decree, fake and false information includes fabricated news, false information, misleading information, impersonated information, invented information, slanderous information and distorted information.

The Ministry of Public Security proposed classifying fake and false information by level of harm and by citizens’ right to access information.

By level of harm, fake and false information would be divided into two categories.

Highly harmful fake and false information refers to content that could have major negative impacts on security, national defense, foreign affairs, the reputation and image of the Party and the State, and public opinion. It may also cause a communications crisis or affect the reputation and image of senior Party and State leaders.

Less harmful fake and false information refers to content with a narrower scope of impact, affecting the lawful rights and interests of other individuals or organizations.

Classified by the right to access information, the categories include fake and false information containing content citizens are not allowed to access; fake and false information containing content citizens may access conditionally; and fake and false information containing content citizens are allowed to access.

The Ministry of Public Security also proposed defining legal violations related to fake and false information. These include making statements, creating, storing, possessing, spreading, posting, sharing or commenting on fake and false information that harms national security, national reputation and image, social order and safety, or the lawful rights and interests of individuals and organizations.

Other violations include providing fake and false information to individuals, agencies or organizations in order to harm the lawful rights and interests of individuals and organizations; infringe upon national security, national reputation and image, or social order and safety; or enable organizations and individuals to use fake and false information for propaganda, information dissemination or other activities.

To improve the fight against fake and false information and handle the issue more effectively, the Ministry of Public Security has proposed establishing a national Center for Combating Fake and False Information.

The center is expected to operate under the Government, with the Ministry of Public Security taking the lead in building, managing and operating it.

In principle, the center would make maximum use of the Ministry of Public Security’s existing resources in infrastructure, databases, science and technology, information and communications, without increasing the number of state-funded payroll positions.

The Ministry of Public Security would lead coordination at the center, with authority to coordinate the verification of legal violations related to fake and false information and to label fake and false information handled by ministries, ministerial-level agencies under the Government and People’s Committees at all levels.

The center would also verify, examine and clarify legal violations involving fake and false information in the fields of security and order, as well as related information involving two or more ministries or ministerial-level agencies, or two or more provincial-level People’s Committees. It would label, publish and issue warnings about violations involving fake and false information; request blocking and removal; and review and detect information showing signs of violations related to fake and false information.

The center is also expected to study the integration of a “report fake and false information” feature into the VNeID app.

The Ministry of Public Security expects the center to serve as a channel through which citizens can identify information more clearly, reducing the risk of being scammed or negatively affected by fake and false information.

At the same time, the center is expected to support timely handling, prevent crowd effects from amplifying false information, and stop information manipulation tactics in time.

Tran Thuong