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| From July 1, individuals who provide or share press, literary, artistic works, or publications without the consent of intellectual property rights holders may be fined up to VND 30 million __Photo: VNA |
The Government has issued new administrative sanctions covering postal services, telecommunications, radio frequency management, electronic transactions and information technology, with several provisions targeting violations committed via social media platforms.
Effective from July 1, Decree 174/2026/ND-CP imposes hefty fines on individuals who abuse social media services to commit violations.
Notably, individuals who provide or share press, literary, artistic works, or publications without the consent of intellectual property rights holders may be fined up to VND 30 million and forced to remove the violating content.
Speaking to Thanh Nien newspaper, lawyer Nguyen Van Hau, chairman of the Vietnam Lawyers’ Commercial Arbitration Centre, said the regulation would significantly strengthen the protection of intellectual property owned by press agencies.
“When violations are penalised and infringing content is required to be removed, readers will seek information from official news websites, helping press agencies maintain traffic and advertising revenue for reinvestment,” Hau said.
However, Hau affirmed that individuals who use the “share” function or post direct links to original articles published by press agencies will not be considered to have illegally provided or shared press works. Such actions support the original authors and publishers rather than constitute a violation.
Sharing the same view, lawyer Dang Thi Thuy Huyen of HPL & Partners Law Firm argued that protecting copyright and promoting the dissemination of official information are not contradictory, provided that social media users are conscious of using content appropriately.
“Instead of copying and pasting entire articles, videos or images onto social media platforms, users should prioritise sharing links from official news sources,” Huyen said, adding that this would help useful information reach a wider audience while protecting the intellectual property and content exploitation rights of press agencies.
As for other violations, fines ranging between VND 20 million and VND 30 million will apply to acts of providing or sharing fake news, false information, distorted or slanderous content, or content that damages the reputation of agencies and organisations or the honour and dignity of others.
The same penalties will also apply to those who share content promoting social vices, prostitution or human trafficking; post obscene or depraved material; or disseminate information that undermines national customs and traditions, social morality or public health, provided the acts are not serious enough to trigger criminal liability.
Press agencies that fail to notify authorities when setting up accounts, fan pages, content channels or community groups on domestic or foreign social media platforms, as required by law, may also be fined up to VND 30 million.
Meanwhile, owners of accounts, content channels and fan pages as well as administrators of groups on social media platforms may face fines of up to VND 30 million if they fail to block or remove illegal content, content infringing upon the lawful rights and interests of organisations or individuals, or harmful content affecting children, upon request from competent authorities.
The decree also stipulates fines ranging from VND 30 million to VND 50 million for more serious violations, provided the acts are not severe enough for criminal prosecution.
These violations include providing or sharing information that distorts history, denies revolutionary achievements, undermines national unity, insults religion, or promotes gender or racial discrimination, as well as disclosing state secrets, personal privacy or other confidential information.
The same penalties will also be imposed on those who provide or share false information that causes public anxiety, harms socio-economic activities, obstructs the operations of state agencies or the performance of public duties by public officials, or infringes upon the lawful rights and interests of agencies, organisations or individuals.
As a remedial measure, violators will be required to remove false, misleading or unlawful information arising from their violations. For violations subject to fines ranging from VND 30 million to VND 50 million, the decree also mandates the suspension or locking of the accounts, fan pages, groups or content channels used to commit the violations.- (VLLF)
