An inspection into TikTok operations in Việt Nam was launched on May 22 this year. —Photo courtesy of TikTok

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) on Thursday announced the results of the investigations into TikTok operations in Việt Nam, which concern social network services, advertising, copyright, e-commerce and taxes.

Lê Quang Tự Do, director general of the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information under the MIC, said investigation results show that TikTok Pte. Ltd (TikTok Singapore) is in charge of providing and managing these cross-border services in Việt Nam, without the direct engagement of TikTok Technologies Vietnam Co. Ltd. and the Representative Office of TikTok Pte. Ltd in HCM City.

Regarding the e-commerce platforms on the application, the TikTok representative office carried out the registration procedures as authorised by TikTok Singapore, and therefore, must also be held responsible for the violations in providing these services in accordance with Việt Nam’s laws, Do said.

According to reports from the inspection teams, TikTok Singapore has violated regulations relating to information storage at the content distribution networks based in Việt Nam, including false information, incitement of violations, social evils and harmful content towards children.

The company’s content assessment process is still inadequate, leading to illegal content according to Vietnamese laws, which were further distributed by the app’s algorithms.

The documents noted that the company fails to install safety measures or send warning messages to protect the privacy of children, or taking action to detect and remove content that is harmful to them, according to the Vietnamese government’s decrees No 72/2013/NĐ-CP (issued on 15 July 2013) and No 130/2021/NĐ-CP (issued on 30 December 2021).

TikTok Singapore has not yet adopted a policy to protect users' copyrighted content, or announce the person in charge on the matter to the authorities or its platform.

Regarding e-commerce services, the company has also neither published information on the application’s owner according to Decree No 17/2022/NĐ-CP, nor stored the sellers’ full information upon registration, nor conducted assessments to ensure the correct information of the goods showcased on its platforms.

The inspection teams said that TikTok Singapore must remove all the content that violates Vietnamese laws and prevent them from being reposted, adding compliance to local laws in its community guidelines, providing information to address violations made on the platform,

The company must also take measures to protect children’s privacy and development, verify users’ age, remove accounts of children under 13 years old, limit use time for people under 18 and install age warnings for videos on the platform.

The inspection teams also recommended TikTok build a separate app for children.

In addition to an improvement on content review systems, it was also recommended that TikTok legal representatives in Việt Nam be authorised for content assessment to effectively work with State management agencies.

The inspection teams also requested that the Ministry of Public Security require TikTok Singapore to store data of Vietnamese users and authorise its legal representatives in the country to ensure cyber security according to national laws.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is recommended to demand TikTok Singapore address violations in providing e-commerce services related to tax and illegal goods, take actions to remove violation goods and their information within 24 hours of receiving a request from the authorities, and improve the company’s responsibilities in handing disputes and complaints on its TikTok Shop in the Vietnamese market.

The Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs should strengthen coordination with the MIC to protect children in cyberspace, the inspection teams said.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will also work with the MIC to better manage the operations of people working in art and performance and monitor copyright issues on the platform.

The Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information has worked with representatives of TikTok Singapore following the announcement of inspection results.

TikTok Technologies Vietnam Co. Ltd. and the Representative Office of TikTok Pte. Ltd in HCM City have also worked with authorities on necessary adjustments and will submit a report to the MIC within 30 days. VNS