Vietnam's 'draconian' internet law now in force

An estimated 65 million social media users will be covered by Vietnam's new internet decree. (Image: Nhac Nguyen, AFP)

Sat, 04 Jan 2025

New Vietnamese internet rules requiring Facebook and TikTok to verify user identities and hand over data to authorities have come into force in what critics say is the latest attack on freedom of expression.Under “Decree 147”, all tech giants operating in Vietnam must verify users' accounts via their phone numbers or Vietnamese identification numbers and store that information alongside their full name and date of birth.They must provide that data to authorities on request and remove within 24 hours any content the Government re...

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