Vietnam: Technology Companies Must Keep User Information Inside the Border
2022-08-19
LRC
TXT
大字
小字
滚动
全页
1The Vietnamese government has ordered big technology companies operating there to set up systems to keep user information more secure.
2The first step: set up local offices and computer storage inside the country's borders.
3The move to protect information saved on computer networks will affect some of the world's biggest media companies like Google and Meta, the company that runs Facebook.
4The rule goes into effect on October 1.
5The new rule covers a wide range of information.
6It includes financial records, identifying health and medical data, information about people's ethnicity.
7And it includes any other information collected by companies that follow internet users as they move online.
8Vietnamese officials say they will be able to request the information if it is needed for an investigation.
9The new rule also says media companies may be required to remove online material if it violates government guidelines.
10Foreign technology companies will have 12 months to meet the rule's requirements.
11They will need to set up computer storage devices and local offices.
12Once the information is stored within Vietnam, the companies will need to keep it for a minimum of two years.
13Google and Meta did not respond to requests for comment from the Reuters news agency.
14The new rules are the latest step by Vietnam's Communist Party to tighten the flow of information online.
15The nation's leadership started with a cybersecurity law in 2019 and introduced guidelines about how to behave on social media last year.
16I'm Dorothy Gundy
1The Vietnamese government has ordered big technology companies operating there to set up systems to keep user information more secure. 2The first step: set up local offices and computer storage inside the country's borders. 3The move to protect information saved on computer networks will affect some of the world's biggest media companies like Google and Meta, the company that runs Facebook. 4The rule goes into effect on October 1. 5The new rule covers a wide range of information. It includes financial records, identifying health and medical data, information about people's ethnicity. And it includes any other information collected by companies that follow internet users as they move online. 6Vietnamese officials say they will be able to request the information if it is needed for an investigation. The new rule also says media companies may be required to remove online material if it violates government guidelines. 7Foreign technology companies will have 12 months to meet the rule's requirements. They will need to set up computer storage devices and local offices. Once the information is stored within Vietnam, the companies will need to keep it for a minimum of two years. 8Google and Meta did not respond to requests for comment from the Reuters news agency. 9The new rules are the latest step by Vietnam's Communist Party to tighten the flow of information online. 10The nation's leadership started with a cybersecurity law in 2019 and introduced guidelines about how to behave on social media last year. 11I'm Dorothy Gundy 12Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a report by Reuters. 13______________________________________________________________________ 14Words in This Story 15secure -adj. guarded so that no one can access something without approval 16range -n. a group or collection of things that are similar in some ways 17minimum -n. the least or smallest amount possible 18We want to hear from you. What do you think about Vietnam's new internet rules? 19We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 20Write your comment in the box. 21Under the box, you can see four images for social media accounts. They are for Disqus, Facebook, Twitter and Google. 22Click on one image and a box appears. Enter the login for your social media account. Or you may create one on the Disqus system. It is the blue circle with "D" on it. It is free. 23Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.