Many users and communities on social media platforms in Vietnam are urging a boycott of the American multimedia instant messaging app Snapchat due to a map featuring the illicit ‘nine-dash line,’ which China employs in its contested assertion of sovereignty over a significant portion of the East Vietnam Sea.

The protest started following Snapchat’s inclusion of a map that contains the controversial and unlawful ‘nine-dash line,’ which poses a serious threat to Vietnam’s sovereignty in the digital realm.

The illegal ‘nine-dash line’ is visible in the satellite mode of the Snapchat application’s map. 

This unauthorized map feature made its appearance following the late October and early November updates.

As a result, a considerable number of Facebook users in Vietnam have expressed their dismay and shared posts urging a boycott of Snapchat owing to its failure to respect Vietnam’s sovereignty.

The Department of Radio, Television, and Electronic Information under the Vietnamese Ministry of Information and Communications said it is aware of the issue and is actively seeking measures to address this serious violation by the application.

Snapchat, an American multimedia instant messaging application and service boasting nearly 400 million users worldwide, is not as widely adopted in Vietnam. 

The user base in Vietnam primarily consists of individuals using the platform for professional engagements with international partners.

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