by Defend the Defenders, June 9, 2017
Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications has proposed fines of up to VND50 million ($2,200) for those using social media to spread “distorted information” or to expose other people’s secrets, state media has reported.
The proposal has been made following the rapid growth of social networks in Vietnam and their “increasing influence,” said Le Quang Tu Do, a senior official of the ministry.
The fines were heavy given the country’s annual average income of around $2,200 last year.
The proposal suggests penalties of between VND30 million and VND50 million for people who share “false or libelous information” that defames individuals or organizations. Users will face the same punishment for creating fake pages or hacking into the accounts of other people or organizations, according to the proposal.
Those who disclose a person or organization’s secrets on social media without the party’s consent will be fined between VND20 billion and VND30 million, the proposal said. The same penalty will be imposed for detailed descriptions of sexual offenses or horrific attacks or accidents, it said.
The ministry is polling public opinions on the proposal and has not revealed any details of how the fines would be issued.
Vietnam has 49 million internet users, or more than half of population, and more than 45 million social media accounts. Facebook is the most popular social network in the country with around 35 million users.
While social networks have become a bigger part of the internet-savvy community, a new study by the Vietnam Program for Internet and Society at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi found they often serve as a platform for public trashing and hate speech.
Nearly 80% of the 1,000 internet users surveyed said they were either victims or had witnessed public condemnation on Facebook or other sites, the research team told a conference in April.
The Vietnamese government has taken various steps to embrace social media. Vietnam’s Health Minister launched her official Facebook page more than two years ago to provide health information and receive questions from the public. That was months before Vietnam’s central government opened its own Facebook page in October 2015.
The government is also working with global giants to enhance internet management.
Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet, pledged to help Vietnam prevent and remove “bad” information on its video site YouTube at a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last month.
Facebook in April also promised to cooperate with the Vietnamese government to block “bad” and “toxic” content.
Vietnam is striving to enhance online censorship amid rising public dissatisfaction due to economic difficulties, systemic corruption and serious environmental pollution. Last month, a legislator suggested adding criminal charges for those humiliating or slandering leaders of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam and the state to the 2015 Penal Code. Currently, Vietnam sets out the charge for slandering in Article 122 and that for humiliation in Article 121.
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June 9, 2017
Vietnam Ministry Proposes $2,200 Fine for Posting “Harmful” Content on Social Networks
by Nhan Quyen • [Human Rights]
by Defend the Defenders, June 9, 2017
Vietnam’s Ministry of Information and Communications has proposed fines of up to VND50 million ($2,200) for those using social media to spread “distorted information” or to expose other people’s secrets, state media has reported.
The proposal has been made following the rapid growth of social networks in Vietnam and their “increasing influence,” said Le Quang Tu Do, a senior official of the ministry.
The fines were heavy given the country’s annual average income of around $2,200 last year.
The proposal suggests penalties of between VND30 million and VND50 million for people who share “false or libelous information” that defames individuals or organizations. Users will face the same punishment for creating fake pages or hacking into the accounts of other people or organizations, according to the proposal.
Those who disclose a person or organization’s secrets on social media without the party’s consent will be fined between VND20 billion and VND30 million, the proposal said. The same penalty will be imposed for detailed descriptions of sexual offenses or horrific attacks or accidents, it said.
The ministry is polling public opinions on the proposal and has not revealed any details of how the fines would be issued.
Vietnam has 49 million internet users, or more than half of population, and more than 45 million social media accounts. Facebook is the most popular social network in the country with around 35 million users.
While social networks have become a bigger part of the internet-savvy community, a new study by the Vietnam Program for Internet and Society at the Vietnam National University in Hanoi found they often serve as a platform for public trashing and hate speech.
Nearly 80% of the 1,000 internet users surveyed said they were either victims or had witnessed public condemnation on Facebook or other sites, the research team told a conference in April.
The Vietnamese government has taken various steps to embrace social media. Vietnam’s Health Minister launched her official Facebook page more than two years ago to provide health information and receive questions from the public. That was months before Vietnam’s central government opened its own Facebook page in October 2015.
The government is also working with global giants to enhance internet management.
Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google’s parent company Alphabet, pledged to help Vietnam prevent and remove “bad” information on its video site YouTube at a meeting with Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc last month.
Facebook in April also promised to cooperate with the Vietnamese government to block “bad” and “toxic” content.
Vietnam is striving to enhance online censorship amid rising public dissatisfaction due to economic difficulties, systemic corruption and serious environmental pollution. Last month, a legislator suggested adding criminal charges for those humiliating or slandering leaders of the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam and the state to the 2015 Penal Code. Currently, Vietnam sets out the charge for slandering in Article 122 and that for humiliation in Article 121.