Cross-border and domestic social media platforms will be required to authenticate users’ accounts via their mobile phone numbers in Vietnam next month, as per a new government decree.

The regulation is included in Government Decree 147/2024/ND-CP on the management, provision, and use of Internet services and online information, which will take effect from December 25.

Le Quang Tu Do, director of the Department of Radio, Television, and Electronic Information, under the Ministry of Information and Communications, pointed out the new rule at a conference held on Thursday.

“Mandatory authentication of users’ social media accounts via mobile phone numbers is a measure to prevent anonymous people from scamming, spreading fake news, or committing other illegal acts,” the official explained.

The authentication process must be completed within 90 days from December 25, 2024, the decree states. 

If users have no mobile phone numbers in Vietnam, they can utilize their personal identification numbers for authentication.

Users can only host live streams for commercial purposes when they have validated their accounts with personal identification numbers.

Pursuant to the new rule, only verified accounts will be allowed to post or share information, or live-stream on social media.

For children aged below 16 using social media platforms, the registration of their accounts must be carried out by using the personal information of their parents or guardians, who are responsible for managing and supervising the content that their children access, post or share on the sites.

Social media platforms must be responsible for checking, monitoring, or removing any information, services, and applications that violate relevant laws and regulations.

All platforms will have to secure the consent of media agencies before using their media products.

They will also have to temporarily or permanently block accounts that frequently violate the law, and to tell account owners to be responsible for managing the content and comments posted on their social media pages, according to the fiat.

In addition, social networking sites must provide information about violating users to state management agencies upon request.

The department reported that Vietnamese users have created 110 million accounts on local social media platforms and 203 million accounts on international social media networks.

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