HÀ NỘI — Google has announced the removal of 56 gambling applications from its Google Play store because the games were not compliant with Việt Nam’s established laws, according to Deputy Director of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information Lê Quang Tự Do.

Google’s removal of the apps following a request from Việt Nam was an important step in the co-operation between the technology giant and the Ministry of Information and Communications in preventing malicious information online and on social networks.

Prime Minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc previously asked for enhanced co-operation with global technology firms to prevent the spread of malicious information.

All 56 games which were removed were in Vietnamese, targeting Vietnamese users.

Of them, 16 games were reported to violate Google Play rules, including illegally exploiting users’ data. These games were removed from Google Play on a global scale.

The other 40 games were removed in Việt Nam following a request by the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information.

The apps included Vua bài, Đánh bài online, Tiến lên miền Nam, Mậu binh Xập xám, Game bài lá online, Phỏm online, Game bài cào and Game ba lá.

The Vietnamese ministry stopped licensing games which used cards or emulated casinos years ago.

The Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information previously sent a document to Google and Apple asking for co-operation in limiting Vietnamese users downloading such games on their app stores.

Helena Lersch, Google’s head for Public Policy and Government Relations for the Asia – Pacific, was quoted in a note on the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information’s website as saying that Google did not allow any content or services related to online gambling.

However, to remove inappropriate content, the apps must be flagged and reported to Google.

Lersch said that Google had a group working 24/7 on flagged inappropriate content. — VNS