Hanoi (VNA)ꦰ – The new Cyber Security Law containsstipulations designed to protect citizens from bad and harmful information, requiringboth domestic and foreign providers of services on the internet, telecomnetworks and cyber space in Vietnam to eliminate sources of harmful informationby refusing or suspending the supply of service for those sources.  

At present, data on net users in Vietnam has been usedextensively for profit, while there is insufficient legal framework to managethe use. There have even been cases when the data were used for politicalschemes or law violation. Therefore, the new law stipulates that domestic and foreignproviders of services on the cyber space which collect, use, analyse and processusers’ personal information and other information created by users in Vietnam, muststore such information in Vietnam. Foreign enterprises subject to thestipulation must have a branch or a representative office in Vietnam. Experts agree that the stipulation is in accordance withdomestic law, international practice and it neither runs counter tointernational agreements to which Vietnam is a member nor hinders the operationof enterprises. Major General Nguyen Minh Duc, Director of the PoliceScience Institute under the People’s Police Academy, noted that there have been18 countries in the world which require the storage of data inside theirterritories, including the US, Russia and China. Regarding the stipulation on representative offices, hecited existing regulations that require foreign trade promotion organisationsto open representative offices in Vietnam. In addition, the law does not require the storage of all Vietnam-relateddata and platform data, but only some specific types that are related to personalsecrets when necessary, and to national security, because such data areproperty of citizens and the country, which need to be managed and protected. Furthermore, the stipulation does not apply to all agencies,organisations operating in Vietnam’s cyber space, but only to a number ofagencies and organisations providing services that are vulnerable to abuse or thatcan affect national security. According to Nguyen Thanh Hong, standing member of theNational Assembly’s Committee on National Defence and Security, such stipulationsare necessary to protect the legitimate rights and interests of individuals,organisations and companies. Hong pointed out that preventative measures areneeded to prevent social network service providers from using individuals’information for illegal purposes, thus violating the legitimate rights andinterests of individuals, organisations and businesses. Many people have expressed concern about the possibleleakage of personal information as a result of the Cyber Security Law’sstipulation that relevant agencies must supply users’ information to the PublicSecurity Ministry’s cyber security force when there is a written request. However, Major General Duc affirmed that information leakageis impossible. “Ensuring absolute secret of citizens’ personal informationis both a responsibility and legal obligation,” he said, noting that anyleakage of information will be strictly dealt with in accordance with the law. The Cyber Security Law was adopted by the 14th NationalAssembly at its 5th session, and will take effect on January 1,2019.-VNA