Current penalties have not kept up with reality
The situation of spreading false information on social networks recently continues to cause many consequences, from affecting personal honor and dignity to causing confusion in public opinion.
Talking to Lao Dong Newspaper, Lawyer Tran Thi Thanh Lam - Chinh Phap Law Office said that the current sanctioning system basically has a full legal basis to handle acts of spreading false information in cyberspace, from administrative sanctions to criminal prosecution for serious cases.
However, according to Ms. Lam, the deterrent effect of current regulations is still not really commensurate with the nature, level of impact and speed of spread of false information in cyberspace.
According to current regulations in Decree 15/2020/ND-CP amended and supplemented by Decree 14/2022/ND-CP, acts of taking advantage of social networks to provide and share false information, untrue information, distortion, slander or insult the prestige of agencies, organizations, honor, and dignity of individuals; providing and sharing fabricated information causing public panic may be administratively sanctioned from 10 to 20 million VND.
According to Lawyer Thanh Lam, in the context of social networks increasingly having a great impact on social life, the current penalty level has not really kept up with the speed of spread and the consequences that fake news can cause in cyberspace.
Tighten control over dissemination of false information
In that context, from July 1, 2026, Decree 174/2026/ND-CP on sanctioning administrative violations in the fields of post, telecommunications, electronic transactions, information technology and network security will officially take effect with many regulations increasing penalties for acts of spreading false information on social networks.
According to the new Decree, the act of providing and sharing false information causing panic among the people, causing damage to socio-economic activities or causing difficulties for the operation of state agencies and public officials, if not serious enough to be prosecuted for criminal liability, may be fined from 30 to 50 million VND.
Meanwhile, acts of taking advantage of social networks to provide and share false information, distort, slander or insult the prestige of agencies, organizations, honor, and dignity of individuals may be fined from 20 to 30 million VND.
According to Lawyer Thanh Lam, this is the penalty level applied to organizations. In case an individual violates, the penalty level is half of the penalty level applied to organizations according to regulations.
This is considered a necessary adjustment step to enhance deterrence in the context that social networks are increasingly having a great impact on social life," Lawyer Thanh Lam said.
In addition to administrative penalties, according to Ms. Lam, for cases of serious nature, violators may also be considered for criminal responsibility according to the provisions of the current Penal Code.
Lawyer Thanh Lam also said that there is still a part of social network users who do not fully understand the legal responsibility when posting or sharing information.
Many people believe that sharing content from another account will not generate legal liability. However, in reality, the act of continuing to spread false information may still be considered for handling depending on the nature, severity of the violation and the consequences occurring," Ms. Lam said.
According to lawyers, to improve the effectiveness of preventing and handling fake news, it is necessary to synchronously implement legal and technical solutions and raise social awareness.
