On the morning of October 31, continuing the 10th Session, General Luong Tam Quang - Politburo member, Minister of Public Security - authorized by the Prime Minister - presented the draft Law on State Secrets Protection (amended).
The Minister of Public Security said that the draft law supplements regulations prohibiting the use of artificial intelligence systems to violate state secrets.
Supplementing the authority and responsibility in protecting state secrets for commune-level authorities and some central agencies organized according to the regional model; supplementing and perfecting regulations on handling documents containing state secrets in the electronic environment.
Regarding decentralization and delegation of authority, the draft Law has stipulated to thoroughly decentralize to departments, ministries, branches and provincial and commune levels, especially commune and regional levels in state secret protection activities, in order to increase the authority and responsibility of agencies, organizations and localities in state secret protection activities.
According to the draft law, there are 13 groups of information under the scope of state secrets, including:
1. Political information;
2. Information on national defense, security, and cryptography;
3. Information on the constitution, legislative act, and judiciary;
4. Information on foreign affairs and international integration;
5. Economic information;
6. Information on water resources and environment including water resources, environment, geology, minerals, hydrometeorology, land, sea, islands, surveying and maps;
7. Information on science and technology;
8. Information on education and training;
9. Cultural information;
10. Medical information;
11. Information about the organization and staff;
12. Information on inspection, examination, supervision, handling of violations, handling of denunciations and preventing and combating corruption;
13. Information on state audits.
Reviewing the above draft law, Chairman of the National Defense, Security and External Relations Committee Le Tan Toi said that there were some opinions suggesting adding the act of "determining state secrets for information not on the list of state secrets, determining confidentiality not in accordance with regulations" as a strictly prohibited act.
Regarding the determination of State secrets, determination of confidentiality, and the duration of State secret protection, it is recommended to add regulations on the responsibility for reviewing the subjects receiving documents and content of State secrets.
Supplementing criteria to decide on extending the period of protection of State secrets and the maximum period of extension; the process of determining and sealing the confidentiality of State secret electronic documents.
Regarding the taking of documents and objects containing State secrets, proposing to decentralize authority to the deputy level (no authorization is required) to avoid arising additional internal administrative procedures, ensuring the policy of decentralization and delegation of authority.
Regarding bringing documents and state secret containers out of storage, there are opinions that removing the approval regulation when bringing documents and state secret containers out of storage could create loopholes in the management and protection of state secrets, due to the lack of approval, control, and close monitoring as at present.
Some opinions suggested adding regulations related to the determination and protection of State secrets in the context of the development of science and technology and digital transformation today, such as adding regulations on "protection technology"; responsibility for managing the use of safe artificial intelligence systems in protecting State secrets.
