Vietnam orders ban on Telegram due to alleged violations of telecom law
By Hoa Dinh ( May 26, 2025, 00:54 GMT | Insight) -- Vietnam has ordered its telecommunication companies and Internet-service providers to block the operations of messaging app Telegram due to violations of the Law on Telecommunications, and report the actions taken in written documents before June 2.
Vietnam has ordered its telecommunication companies and Internet-service providers to block the operations of messaging app Telegram due to violations of the Law on Telecommunications, and report the actions taken in written documents before June 2.The Vietnam Telecommunications Authority, or VNTA, said it issued the request based on investigation results by the Department of Cybersecurity and High-Tech Crime Prevention and Control, known as A05. under the Ministry of Public Security, which showed that up to 68 percent of 9,600 Telegram channels and groups operating in Vietnam contain harmful content that facilitates scams, illegal sales of user data and drugs, and suspected terrorism. Several groups with tens of thousands of participants contain reactionary elements and disseminate anti-government documents, the government said.Scams amounting to more than 1 trillion Vietnamese dong ($38.5 million) have been reported as taking place through Telegram with more than 13,000 victims recorded, and data of 23 million people have been sold.Telegram has not taken the responsibility for monitoring and removing information that violates the provisions of the Cybersecurity Law pertaining to foreign social networks providing cross-border access into Vietnam in Decree 147. and the use of Internet services and cyber information, which was issued by the Vietnamese government and took effect on Dec. 25, 2024, according to A05.This is considered "taking advantage of telecommunications activities to commit acts of sabotage and infringement of national security and social order," which is strictly prohibited in Article 9 of the Law on Telecommunications. In this case, telecom businesses are obliged to take measures to prohibit the provision of services under Article 13 of the law.Telegram also did not notify authorities before offering services as required in Decree 147, the government said.However, in a response sent to Reuters on May 24, a Telegram representative said the company is "surprised" by the order blocking its services because it responded to legal requests from the authorities on time.The company said it received a formal notice from VNTA on the morning of May 23 regarding a standard service-notification procedure required under new telecom regulations, with May 27 being the deadline for responding.Telegram currently does not have a representative office in Vietnam....
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