Photo Credit: Tron Le
Vietnam is considering a complete ban on the TikTok app for violating local laws.
“Vietnamese law has enough provisions to ensure cyber security, and is not limited to banning or removing violating apps,” says Deputy Minister of Information and Communications, Nguyen Thanh Lam. Some of the means in which Vietnam may restrict access include cutting off money flows in the country. The government may also block domains or servers if violating content is not removed at the government’s request.
“The point of these measures is for international platforms without offices in Vietnam, like Facebook and YouTube, to abide by the law,” adds Le Quang Tu Do, Head of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information in Vietnam. TikTok does have an office located in Vietnam and officials are expected to perform an inspection of TikTok’s content distribution, tax liability, e-commerce transactions, and advertisements within the country of Vietnam.
“Following the check, the information ministry will evaluate the impact TikTok has and its capacity to abide by the law. From that the ministry will find a way to address the root of the problems, not just seek the removal of contents,” Do continues.
Vietnam’s information ministry has asked social media giants like TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube to block or remove violating content numerous times. But it seems as though officials in Vietnam have never heard of the Streisand effect—trying to remove content on the internet elevates awareness of said content.
Vietnam has created a black and white list of advertisements allowed on social media in an attempt to stop the inflow of money into what it deems toxic channels. Dozens of brands that advertised on blacklisted channels were fined for doing so. So far, TikTok has been completely banned within India and Pakistan due to privacy and security concerns for its citizens.
The TikTok ban across the rest of the world appears to be limited to government employees for much of the United States, Europe, and Australia.