Vietnam tightens grip on social media platforms – and their users

Vietnam will ask foreign social media companies to hand over user information on demand, tightening its grip on social media networks. The government decree, due to come into effect next month, requires social media users to be authenticated by phone number or ID before posting on online platforms such as X or Meta. Content deemed illegal by authorities must be removed within 24 hours. Social media platforms in Vietnam took off about a decade ago (it’s one of Facebook’s largest markets with over 70 million users) and since then the one-party socialist state has increasingly tried to exert control over these networks. In 2017, Vietnam created a 10,000-person-strong cyber military to combat online criticism of the state. In 2022, it adopted a decree that required foreign tech companies to store user information on local servers. The Ministry of Information and Communications addressed the National Assembly on 12 November, highlighting a surge in misinformation on social media platforms.