Vietnam May Ban TikTok If `Toxic` Content Not Removed

New Delhi: Vietnam may ban TikTok if it did not remove toxic, offensive, false, and superstitious content, VN Express reported citing the country's information ministry. On Thursday, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam said, "Vietnamese law has enough provisions to ensure cybersecurity, and is not limited to banning or removing violating apps."

Meanwhile, the head of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, Le Quang Tu Do said the authorities have economic, technical, and diplomatic tools to act against international platforms. ()

Economic measures include cutting off money flows, with platforms being cut off from advertisers, banks, and e-commerce, according to VN Express. ()

On the technical side, the government can block domains and servers if platforms do not remove violating contents on authorities' request. Earlier, on Tuesday, Le Quang Tu Do said Vietnam will begin an inspection of TikTok next month to deal with harmful content and false information.

He also said recently a lot of toxic, offensive, false, and superstitious content has been appearing on the social media app TikTok in Vietnam.

The inspection, to be conducted by the communications ministry, seeks to ensure that the social media complies with Vietnam's regulations, both in content and operations, reported VN Express."TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube are all cross-border social media with international standards," Do said.

"But when entering Vietnam, they need to comply with Vietnam's laws, which include regulations on content management and tax, payments, and commercial policy," he added. Outside Vietnam, TikTok has been banned in countries like India and Pakistan due to privacy, security, and content concerns.

Others like the US and Australia have made the app off-limits for government employees.