Vietnam seeks tighter control over cross-border advertising activities

Thứ Năm, 24/06/2021, 15:12

The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) has been coordinating with relevant ministries and agencies to seek solutions to control ads on digital platforms and social networks as ads on goods without clear origins or quality verifications prevail on cyber space.

The MIC has recently taken various measures to prevent and handle violations in advertising activities on digital platforms, including mainstream online newspapers.

The ministry and relevant agencies had reviewed and listed a large number of violations and require international advertising service providers on Facebook and Google to block and remove illegal contents and violated ads.

Since the beginning of 2018, Facebook has blocked and removed 330 fanpages related to online gambling, 72 accounts and fanpages advertising illegal sale of weapons and explosives.

Google has also blocked 130 ads on trade and hunting of wild animals, 500 video clips on how to make weapons and explosives.

The MIC recently asked Facebook and Google to observe the laws and regulations of Vietnam on advertising activities. Accordingly, all ads on medications, cosmetics, functional food or clinics which have yet to be licensed by the Ministry of Health of Vietnam must be denied. Since the beginning of 2021, functional agencies have checked and blocked 1,000 websites containing unhealthy contents.

The ministry continues closely watching the 5 major international ads service providers’ implementation of commitments and will ban firms violating the laws of Vietnam from operating in Vietnam.

By DT