The Government has recently released Decree No. 147/2024/ND-CP on November 9, 2024, concerning the management, provision, and utilization of internet services and information on the network.
This decree introduces several new regulations, including the requirement for phone number verification to engage in posting, commenting, and livestreaming on social media platforms, as well as a restriction that prohibits children under the age of 18 from playing games for more than 60 minutes.
Decree 147/2024/ND-CP comprising a comprehensive 6-chapter, 84-article decree, will reshape the digital landscape from December 25, 2024. A significant provision of this decree pertains to the regulation of cross-border information provision for services with a monthly visitor count exceeding 100,000 or those employing data storage services within Vietnam.
As per the regulation, accounts that have been verified through a phone number or personal identification number are permitted to function, which includes activities such as posting content (writing articles, commenting, livestreaming) and sharing information on social media platforms. Resident Thanh Tam from District 11 in Ho Chi Minh City believed that this regulation is essential as it will foster a clean and sustainable online environment.
Decree 147/2024/ND-CP is anticipated to establish a more structured framework for the gaming industry. As per the decree, suppliers are required to implement a technical system that monitors the gaming duration for individuals under the age of 18, limiting their playtime to a maximum of 60 minutes for each game and a total of 180 minutes across all games offered by game enterprises.
Decree 27 of 2018 imposes a 180-minute time limit on games classified as G1, which feature multiplayer interaction through enterprises’ server system.
The new Decree expands the regulation on gameplay, limiting all licensed G1, G2, G3, and G4 games - whether online or offline - to a maximum of 60 minutes per session. This includes games featuring player-to-player or player-to-machine interactions.
CEO Thai Thanh Liem of Topebox game studio said that the gaming sector has recently been subject to stringent management, with state regulatory bodies guiding gaming enterprises towards the establishment of a formal gaming industry. Consequently, the provisions outlined in the Decree 147 are expected to foster a healthier development of the gaming industry, particularly by mitigating the risk of gaming addiction among players, especially children, and encouraging them to dedicate more time to acquiring valuable skills.
The rapid development of telecommunications and information technology in recent years has significantly benefited economic growth, government operations, and the quality of life for each resident. Nevertheless, in addition to these advantages, considerable risks, particularly as malicious actors exploit technology for fraudulent activities also concurrently exist.
Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung emphasized the necessity for targeted measures to address this issue, which includes the identification of calls originating from government agencies.
Minister Nguyen Manh Hung reported that online scammers frequently use counterfeit phones to pose as representatives of government organizations.
The Ministry of Information and Communications has instructed network providers to invest in technology that will display the name of the government agency on a mobile or landline phone screen whenever a government agency contacts individuals.
Therefore, if a resident receive a call on a phone without a screen, people can request a call back via their mobile number to identify themselves as a representative of a government agency.
The Ministry also encouraged phone receivers claiming to be from a government agency, people should carefully check the information and request a call back via an identified mobile phone number to ensure accuracy.
If a resident believes they have received a scam call, it is advisable to report it to the authorities for prompt action.
As of now, 732 mobile phone numbers utilized by government agencies have been formally registered for identification purposes, enabling direct communication with organizations and individuals to facilitate their tasks.
The major telecommunications companies in Vietnam, including Viettel, Vinaphone, Mobifone, as well as virtual mobile network operators like Mobicast, Local, VNSky, and FPT, have finished declaring the unique identifiers for their respective phone numbers.
When individuals receive calls from these specific identifiers, the name of the state agency will be shown rather than the phone number. Consequently, if individuals receive calls from 10-digit phone numbers beginning with 03, 05, 07, 08, or 09 that purport to be from a state agency but do not display the identifier, they should exercise caution and refrain from complying with any requests made during the call.
