Parcels are placed on the conveyor system for sorting at the Vietnam Post's Central Transport and Logistics Centre. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has called on postal service providers to strengthen proactive measures to safeguard user data and personal information.

According to the Postal Department under the Ministry, recent reports indicate a rise in scams involving fraudsters impersonating postal employees to deceive customers and commit financial fraud.

In response, on March 28, MoST instructed all licensed postal service providers to implement stricter data protection measures.

Postal firms must strictly comply with Article 7, Clause 6 of the Postal Law 2015, which prohibits the disclosure of user information. They are also required to educate their employees about the importance of data confidentiality and the consequences of breaches.

Violations related to unlawful disclosure of user data will be subject to administrative fines ranging from VNĐ10 million to VNĐ20 million (US$392-784) under Decree 15/2020/NĐ-CP issued in February 2020.

Furthermore, postal firms must comply with the Cyber Information Security Law 2015, the Cybersecurity Law 2018 and Decree 85/2016 while strengthening their information systems for data security.

Businesses are also urged to develop solutions to protect user information, such as caller identification systems for postal employees and encryption of sensitive details on parcels, including names, phone numbers and addresses.

As a key infrastructure in the digital economy and e-commerce, Việt Nam's postal market is growing rapidly and now comprises over 700 companies.

On March 24, the Hà Nội Department of Science and Technology reminded over 400 postal and telecom firms in the capital to prioritise user data security amid rising online fraud cases linked to data leaks. — BIZHUB/VNS