National center to combat fake news proposed to be established

The Ministry of Public Security (MPS) is leading the drafting of a Decree on measures to prevent and control legal violations involving fake news and misinformation, currently seeking feedback from agencies, organizations, and individuals.

Under the draft Decree, violations regarding fake news and misinformation include not only direct acts of dissemination but also aiding, colluding, inciting, or deceiving others to commit such acts. These regulations apply when such actions infringe upon the legal rights, interests, health, life, honor, or reputation of individuals and organizations, or impact national security and social order.

Notably, Article 21 of the draft proposes the establishment of a National Database Center for the Prevention and Control of Fake News and Misinformation Violations. This center would be tasked with receiving reports, denunciations, and complaints regarding misinformation; announcing and issuing warnings about fake news; and providing support and clarification regarding suspicious information.

The center will also facilitate data interconnectivity to identify and label fake news through collaboration between the MPS and other ministries, sectors, and People’s Committees at all levels. This system is intended to create a synchronized and unified national database for misinformation management.

The MPS will take the lead in managing and operating the National Database Center. Other ministries, sectors, and local authorities are required to coordinate with the MPS to exchange, update, and link their data to the central system.

According to the MSP, the creation and dissemination of fake news have seen increasingly complex developments. A prominent trend involves misinformation designed to cause disruption, erode public trust, and stir skepticism among officials, party members, and the public regarding the nation's political and socio-economic situation.

Fake news is currently prevalent in cyberspace, often leveraging the influence of high-profile social media accounts. Content is frequently edited to obscure original sources and is supported by the technical features of global platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, X (Twitter), Snapchat, and TikTok.