Vietnam has announced plans to investigate TikTok over concerns that the hugely popular video-sharing app is hosting “toxic content”. The Chinese-owned app has an estimated 50 million users in Vietnam, according to research firm DataReporter cited by the government. However, the communist state has strict curbs on freedom of expression and has been known to crack down on government critics who use social media apps to voice their opinions. In the fourth quarter of 2022, TikTok removed 1.7 million videos at the request of the Vietnamese government as they were deemed to violate government policies.
The app has already been under growing pressure from Western governments who fear that user data could be used or abused by Chinese officials. This week, TikTok was fined in the United Kingdom and banned from official devices in Australia. The head of Vietnam’s Radio, TV and Electronic Information, Le Quang Tu Do, has said that an “inter-ministerial” inspection of the company will take place in May. Do told reporters that TikTok has no effective control measures over content that violates politics, against party and state, fake news, and toxic content. The lack of control is “facilitating the dissemination of fake news, causing losses in economics and social instability,” Do said.
Moderating content on the popular Chinese-owned application that carries bite-sized videos is “far more difficult” than on other platforms, Do added. “We will need tougher measures to combat that content, removal only is not enough,” Do said, adding that the ministry has asked “cross-border platforms to strictly follow Vietnamese laws”. In February, TikTok was told by the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information that a government delegation would visit its Vietnam offices in the second quarter. However, TikTok’s Chinese owners, Bytedance, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from AFP news agency.
On Tuesday, the UK’s data regulator announced that it had fined TikTok 12.7 million pounds ($15.9m) for allowing up to 1.4 million children under 13 to use the platform in violation of its own rules. Following similar moves by France, the Netherlands, and the European Commission, Australia banned the app from government devices. TikTok has faced criticism in several countries over the past year, with some calling for its outright ban over concerns about data security and potential links to the Chinese government.
