Under the plan set by the Ministry of Information and Communications, one of the works to be implemented during the inspection tour to TikTok Vietnam Technology Co Ltd and TikTok Vietnam Representative Office is ensuring compliance with regulations on providing social network services to domestic users, including the information censorship process; user authentication; prevention and removal of information that violates Vietnamese law; handling of users’ complaints; algorithms for distributing and recommending content to users; collection, management, storage and use of users’ data; and ensuring information safety and network security.

The group of inspectors, to be led by the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information (ABEI), an arm of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC), will also inspect other issues, including the observance of regulations on advertisements; the management of celebrities who operate in the field of performing arts on TikTok (Idol TikTok); and observance of the provisions of the law on child protection and prevention, and combating social evils on cyberspace.

Also, the inspectors will assess the impact of TikTok on teenagers; inspect compliance with regulations related to the provision of e-commerce services; fulfillment of tax obligations; evaluate the impact of the social network of TikTok on the role of mainstream media.

In its report to the National Assembly on activities related to the field of information and communications, MIC said it has requested cross-border platforms, especially Facebook, Google, TikTok, Apple and Netflix, to prevent and remove toxic content, fake news and wrong ads.

In the first three months of the year, as per MIC’s request, Facebook, Google and TikTok removed 90 percent of toxic information. Of this, Facebook prevented and pulled down 1,096 posts with toxic content, while Google removed 1,670 violating videos on YouTube and TikTok cleared 323 violating links, and locked 47 accounts and channels that regularly posted toxic content.

MIC is completing the draft of a decree to replace  Decree 72/2013 and Decree 27/2018 in order to tighten management over cross-border platforms. The draft is expected to be submitted to the government in the second quarter of the year.

MIC will also study international experiences on solutions to manage algorithms used by cross-border social media, especially by TikTok, so as to design solutions for Vietnam, such as tightening management and asking to provide algorithms that suggest content.

Van Anh