On the afternoon of September 18, a representative of the Hanoi Department of Information and Communications spoke with Lao Dong reporters, saying that the Department had learned about the video titled "Karma in Lao Cai's Nu Village" that caused a stir in public opinion and would coordinate with the police to handle the case.
On the same day, Cau Giay District Police (Hanoi City) said they were coordinating with the specialized unit of the Ministry of Public Security to verify the case of a YouTube channel posting a "view-baiting" clip, distorting information related to the flash flood in Lang Nu village, Lao Cai province.
This video was posted by the YouTube channel Little Lessons with more than 324,000 subscribers, specializing in animated content for children, each video has tens of thousands of views.
Since the morning of September 17, this video has been removed, and the Small Lessons channel is no longer visible on YouTube.
On the morning of September 18, speaking with Lao Dong reporter, MSc. Le Dinh Quyet - Lecturer at Hanoi Law University, Senior Advisor of LVI Law Firm - said that the act of posting false information on social networks that affects the honor of others can be subject to administrative sanctions or criminal prosecution.
Pursuant to Article 99 of Decree 15/2020/ND-CP, this YouTube channel violated regulations on electronic information pages, specifically the act of providing false information, distorting, slandering, and insulting the reputation of organizations, honor and dignity of individuals (stipulated in Point a, Clause 3, Article 99).
The fine ranges from VND 20,000,000 to VND 30,000,000, in addition to the remedial measures prescribed in Clause 5, Article 99, which is to force the removal of links to false or misleading information.
In case the channel owner's actions cause serious consequences, he/she may be prosecuted for criminal liability for the crime of slander for the act of "fabricating or spreading things known to be untrue with the aim of seriously insulting the dignity, honor or causing damage to the rights and legitimate interests of others" (stipulated in Article 156 of the Penal Code).
The penalty for this act depends on the severity of the violation, and can be a fine from VND 10,000,000 to VND 50,000,000, a non-custodial reform sentence of up to 02 years, or a prison sentence from 03 months to 01 year.
The animated video titled "Karma in Lao Cai's Nu Village" has been circulating on social media since the evening of September 16.
The video is over 40 minutes long, the content is about a tiger from the forest returning to the village to disturb the lives of the people, without mentioning the flash flood disaster, Lang Nu or Lao Cai. But deliberately using the name Lang Nu to attract attention.
After a few hours, the video attracted thousands of views. After being reported and criticized by many viewers, the channel owner changed the title and illustration, and locked the comment section.
However, there are opinions that this channel is temporarily locked, will be displayed again and continue to operate. Initially, the video named "Qua ban Lang Nu Lao Cai" was also hidden from the Vietnam region, after being renamed and adding a background image (thumbnail), it was posted publicly.
