Vietnam Is Drafting a New Law: Delete 'Toxic' Posts Within 3 hours, Fake News Within 24 Hours

Vietnam's Ministry of Communications is considering drafting a law requiring some "toxic" material to be deleted from social media within three hours in certain circumstances and other misleading news to be removed within 24 hours.

Vietnam's Effort to Achieve a 'Toxic'-free Digital Space

According to Bloomberg, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung made statements in front of the National Assembly. He emphasized that imprudent fake news on the internet would spread extremely wide if handled slowly.

The ministry plans to implement 24-hour, and three-hour take-down orders for content deemed malicious and harmful. The proposed timeframe is an increase over the present 48-hour take-down order.

Hung added that while the punishment for spreading false information has grown by a factor of three, it is just a small fraction of what is being imposed in other nations. He said that the ministry would continue collaborating with other government entities to increase the monetary penalty.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health is also considering guidelines that would instruct social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube to delete advertising that includes incorrect information, particularly about nutritional items.

In 2020, the government ministry already blacklisted 1,700 websites as they displayed indicators of fraud.

Prior Initiative: Strengthening Cybersecurity in the Country

The initiatives of the nation's Communist authorities to strengthen the regulation of internet conduct came months after they proposed and implemented new rules that triggered worries from US business organizations.

According to a previous report by Reuters, new orders are forcing foreign technology companies to set up local offices and keep the data of their Southeast Asian customers in the area.

The decree stipulates that authorities may make data collection requests for investigative purposes. They may also order service providers to delete information that is regarded to violate government norms.

Foreign companies will have 12 months from the time they get instructions from the Minister of Public Security to establish local data storage and representative offices. Additionally, they will be required to keep their customers' data onshore for at least 24 months.

Prior Initiative: US Businesses Called it a Huge Burden

Meanwhile, US businesses considered and called it a "substantial burden" that may have the potential to harm investments, Bloomberg reported. It was on the letter signed by the US Chamber of Commerce and the American Chambers of Commerce in Vietnam, along with the Asia Internet Coalition, which comprised Amazon, Google, and Meta.

It also said that the laws make it impossible for corporations to estimate the costs associated with operating in Vietnam.

Prior to all these new orders, Vietnam instituted stricter internet regulations over the last several years. These include new cybersecurity legislation taking effect in 2019 and national guidelines on social media conduct that were presented in June of last year.

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Written by Trisha Kae Andrada