HANOI – A new decree took effect in Vietnam on Wednesday
introducing fines for the dissemination of “fake news” or rumors on social
media, amid the rapid spread of comment online about the novel coronavirus in
the Southeast Asian country.
The first COVID-19 cases were detected in Vietnam this
January and the health ministry has reported 267 infections so far with no
deaths, numbers well below those seen in some other Asian countries.
Local authorities have already fined hundreds of people for
posting what they described as “fake news” about the virus, using the term
popularised by US President Donald Trump, based on existing legal provisions.
But the new decree, drafted in February, supersedes one from 2013 which does
not specifically cover ‘fake news’, new guidelines say.
A fine of 10-20 million dong ($426-$853), equivalent to
around three to six months’ basic salary in Vietnam, will be imposed on people
who use social media to share false, untruthful, distorted, or slanderous
information, according to the decree.
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