Vietnam orders social media companies to provide user identities

The Vietnam decree directs foreign social media companies to verify users accounts with their local phone numbers or official identification cards for those without Vietnamese phone numbers. — AFP

Vietnam is ordering foreign social media platforms to verify the accounts of users and provide their identifies to authorities on demand, a move to tighten the Communist government’s control of social networks.

Foreign social media platforms with an average of 100,000 or more visits a month must abide by the new rules, according to a new decree issued Nov 9. It goes into effect Dec 25. Foreign companies providing cross-border information services to Vietnam will have 90 days to comply, Dan Tri news website reported.