Currently, hoaxes have become a threat to national unity. The number of Hoaxes
in 2021 Kominfo has blocked 565,449 hoax content circulating on social media. The
criminal responsibility for spreading fake news (hoaxes) is regulated by several laws,
including the Criminal Code and the ITE Law. This study aims to describe the spread of
hoax news on social media and to examine criminal responsibility for spreading hoax news
on social media in criminal law. This type of research is library research. The approach used
is a normative approach, the data collection technique is through library research and is
carried out online and analyzed using a descriptive-analytical research method. The results
of this study indicate that not all news dissemination Hoaxes on social media can be held
accountable, as stipulated in Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning Amendments to Law
Number 11 of 2008 concerning Information and Electronic Transactions The spread of hoax
news that can be held criminally responsible, namely the spread of hoax news that is done
intentionally, defamation, extortion, harming consumers, containing racial elements, and
threats of violence. A person can be held criminally responsible for spreading hoax news on
social media if he has made a mistake as stipulated in Article 27, Article 28, Article 29 of
Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning Amendments to Law Number 11 of 2008 concerning
Information and Electronic Transactions, so that if the perpetrators of spreading hoax news
on social media do not fulfill the elements of the article, then they cannot be held accountable
as perpetrators of spreading hoax news on social media.