The Ministry of Public Security has suggested that social networks and communication services should not be allowed to require users to submit photos of their identification or citizen identification cards for account verification. The Ministry has suggested this could breach Vietnam’s Personal Data Protection regulations.
Of note, the passage of Decree 157 late last year, which adds verification requirements for social media accounts in Vietnam, caused a stir amid claims that it would be used to identify distributors of content deemed ‘anti-state’.
This latest development, however, suggests social media providers will only be able to verify a users identity by their mobile phone number. Notably, it’s relatively easy to acquire a second hand sim card without verification in which case it seems, for these regulations to be effective, there would need to be some sort of visual identification.
With this in mind, this latest development is somewhat confusing.
See also: Vietnam’s New Social Media ID Regulations: Unpacked