The government of the country has implemented a new internet law in Vietnam. The law is known as 'Decree 147'. According to the new law, all technology companies, including Facebook and TikTok, must verify the identity of users and provide their information to the government. The law came into force from last Wednesday. Critics characterized the law as an interference with freedom of expression.
The law requires all technology companies operating in Vietnam to verify users' accounts with their phone number or Vietnamese identity card, and that information must include their full name and date of birth. This information must be provided to the Government of Vietnam upon request. Also, content deemed 'illegal' by the government must be removed within 24 hours.
All social media sites must report to authorities within 90 days “the total number of daily accesses to the sites from Vietnam and the number of active users per month,” Vietnamese state media VNXpress said.
Vietnamese social activist Dang Thi Hue writes about politics and social issues on Facebook account. His account has 28 thousand followers. Regarding the new law, he said, 'Decree 147 will be used to openly suppress people of different opinions.'
Former political prisoner Le Aung Hung said the decree is the latest sign of an attack on fundamental freedoms. Where there is no clear line between 'valid' and 'illegal'. No one wants to go to jail, so of course some social workers will be more cautious and fearful because of this decree.
Vietnam's strict administration usually moves quickly to suppress dissent and arrest critics. Especially those who express themselves on social media and build an audience.
Blogger Duong Van Thai was sentenced to 12 years in prison last October for publishing anti-state information. He regularly streamed live on YouTube criticizing the government. He has about 120 thousand followers.
Decree 147 is based on the Cyber Security Act of 2018. The cybersecurity law drew strong criticism from the United States, the European Union, and Internet freedom organizations. This, they said, was an imitation of China's repressive internet censorship.
The decree also states that only verified accounts can live stream. Social commerce including TikTok will affect people who earn a living.
In addition to imposing limits on social media, the new law also imposes restrictions on gaming for children under 18. Such rules have been made to prevent addiction.
Game developers are told to impose a limit of one hour per game session and a maximum of 180 minutes of game play per day.
More than half of Vietnam's 10 million people play games regularly, according to data research firm Newsoo.
A large part of Vietnam uses social media. According to the country's Ministry of Information and Communications, there are about 65 million Facebook users, 60 million YouTube users and 20 million TikTok users in the country.
References: Japan Today
