Vietnam to tighten grip on live streaming on social media
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HANOI • Vietnam's government is seeking to increase scrutiny of live-streaming content on social media platforms such as Facebook and Google, in its latest move to rein in online activities that it deems to be anti-state.
In a draft decree by the Information and Communications Ministry, cross-border social media platforms operating in Vietnam must provide contact information of account operators with more than 10,000 followers or subscribers.
While the decree covers domestic operators such as Zalo, most live-streaming videos are hosted on foreign platforms. The ministry estimates that the top 10 Vietnamese social media platforms have about 80 million users combined, while foreign competitors are dominant, with Facebook's 65 million users, YouTube's 60 million users and TikTok's 20 million.
"These platforms have not fully abided by Vietnamese laws," the ministry said. "A lot of content posted there is disinformation, causing instability and frustration in society and inequality between domestic and foreign companies."
Facebook and TikTok had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters, while Google did not immediately respond.
The ministry said people were increasingly using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok to deliver their own news or provide false information.
The draft, which has yet to be approved, requires social media providers to block or remove flagged content within 24 hours upon "justified" requests by Vietnamese individuals and affected organisations.
REUTERS
