疫情背景下的编造、故意传播虚假信息类行为的处理

Handling of Conducts of Fabricating or Deliberately Disseminating False Information in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

疫情背景下的特定时期,各种有关疫情的虚假消息四处传播会导致社会秩序的混乱,从而使得事态进一步恶化,因此,治理编造或者故意传播虚假信息的行为很有必要。但是,这种治理必须在法律规定的限度之内进行。不能因为疫情的特殊背景,就可以视法律规定于不顾。就编造、故意传播虚假恐怖信息罪而言,不仅要看所编造、故意传播的是不是虚假疫情信息,更要看该信息是不是达到了和爆炸威胁、生化威胁、放射威胁、劫持航空器威胁类似、足以危害公共安全的程度,不能单纯以该行为扰乱了社会秩序就将其认定为编造、故意传播虚假恐怖信息罪;同样,在尽管有编造、故意传播虚假信息行为,但并没有在法律规定的渠道即信息网络上传播的话,依据罪刑法定原则,也不得将其认定为编造、故意传播虚假信息。

Against the background of COVID-19 pandemic, there will be chaos in the social order by virtue of the spread of various false information about the pandemic, which will further deteriorate the situation. Therefore, it is necessary to control the conducts of fabricating or deliberately disseminating false information. However, it is essential to implement such governance within the limits prescribed by law regardless of COVID-19 pandemic. Regarding the crime of fabricating and deliberately disseminating false terrorist information, it depends not only on whether the fabricated or deliberately disseminated information is false pandemic information, but also on whether the information has reached the equivalent level of explosion threat, biochemical threat, radiation threat, and aircraft hijacking threat, which is as such an extent as to endanger the public security. It cannot be regarded as the crime of fabricating or deliberately disseminating false terrorist information simply based on the conduct of disrupting social order. Similarly, even if there is a conduct of fabricating or deliberately disseminating false information, it is not disseminated on the network, which is a channel prescribed by law.For the sake of the principle of legality, it may not be identified as the crime of fabricating or deliberately disseminating false information.