Vietnam is considering banning TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance

Vietnam's information ministry has threatened to ban TikTok unless the social media platform removes content that is deemed toxic, offensive, false, and superstitious. This information is based on a report from VN Express. On Thursday, Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Thanh Lam stated that Vietnamese law provides enough cybersecurity provisions and is not solely restricted to banning or removing offending apps. This move follows similar actions taken by other countries in the region, including India, which have also expressed concerns about the content on TikTok.

Le Quang Tu Do, the head of Vietnam's Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, stated that the government has a range of economic, technical, and diplomatic tools at its disposal to take action against international platforms. These measures could include cutting off money flows by severing platforms' ties with advertisers, banks, and e-commerce companies. Le Quang Tu Do added that the government has various tools at its disposal, including the ability to block domains and servers. Additionally, he noted that Vietnam will launch an inspection of TikTok next month to address concerns related to harmful content and false information.

Vietnam has witnessed a surge in toxic context on TikTok

According to Le Quang Tu Do there has been a surge of harmful content, including toxic, offensive, false, and superstitious content on TikTok in Vietnam. "TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube are all cross-border social media with international standards. 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 said. Many countries like the US and the UK have banned the app from the phones of government employees, due to fear of espionage. It is worth flagging that the TikTok most people are familiar with around the world, is not the TikTok people in China use. It is known as Douyin in China, and unlike the app's algorithm for the rest of the world, the app promotes science and education-related content in China, instead of toxic content which tech ethicist Tristan Harris has labelled "soft porn".