There is no direct violence, no shadow of a kidnapper in real life, but the obsession and confusion that families have to endure is extremely real. The issue is: Why can this type of high-tech crime develop so quickly?
In the digital age, every photo posted online, every publicly shared information can become raw material for bad guys. With just a few photos or clips from Facebook and TikTok, scammers have enough data to create a "fake version" using deepfake technology. Images impersonating police officers, serious voices issued from screens, even the faces of their own children, caused many parents to fall into a spiral of panic and immediately transfer money to " redeem people".
The key point is that: Personal data leaked, lacking protection measures, has become a fatty target for cybercriminals. From seemingly harmless information, the scammers created a sophisticated scenario to manipulate the victim's psychology.
On June 26, 2025, the National Assembly passed the Law on Personal Data Protection, effective from January 1, 2026. This is a big step forward, for the first time that personal data rights have been fully legalized. The law stipulates that individuals have the right to request data collection or editing; sensitive data such as location, financial information, passwords, biometrics, online behavior, etc. must be protected by strict technical measures. Organizations and businesses are not allowed to re-identify deidentified data, and must be responsible for any leakage or abuse.
This not only enhances each person's autonomy with their own data, but also forces collection and storage units to tighten their responsibilities. When personal data is protected, the risk of high-tech crimes using them to create "online kidnapping" scenarios will be significantly reduced.
Personal data protection is not a distant concept but a fundamental measure to prevent "online kidnapping". If each individual is aware of not publicizing school schedules, addresses, and financial information online; if each person activates two-class authentication, is careful when downloading the application, and is vigilant against impersonation calls; if families and schools equip students with deepfake identification skills and emergency situation handling skills... then the opportunities for scammers will be significantly reduced.
At a broader level, technology enterprises, banks, and financial institutions need to strictly comply with the regulation on deactivating data identification, not letting customer information become a floating item. The authorities must increase propaganda, strictly handle data trafficking rings and coordinate internationally to eliminate cross-border crimes.
When data is securely protected, "online kidnapping" scenarios, online scams will have difficulty having a place to live and cyberspace will truly become a healthy, safe environment.
