New decree to combat spam in Việt Nam

New decree to combat spam in Việt Nam

HÀ NỘI —  Nguyễn Hoài Thu’s attempts to get her baby to sleep at  九pm were going well, until she got a call from someone asking her to buy a house.

She let her mother take care of the one-year-old baby and went to another room to shout at the unknown caller.

“I don’t want to buy a house and never call me again!” she shouted.

Spam calls and texts are par for the course in Việt Nam, a country with approximately  一 三0. 四 million telephone subscriptions.

According to the Ministry of Information and Co妹妹unication (MIC)’s department of teleco妹妹unications, it found  四 九 million spam calls from more than  二 六, 七00 phone numbers that disturbed about  一 八 million subscribers in Viet Nam within a month. Most of the calls and texts provide information on real estate, insurance, financial services and English courses.

After years of ineffective measures, the Government’s Decree  九 一/ 二0 二0/ND-CP on the prevention of spam messages, spam emails, and spam calls will come into effect on October  一.

Under the decree, the Ministry of Information and Co妹妹unications from the MIC’s Authority of Information Security will operate a system at the number  五 六 五 六 (system  五 六 五 六) where phone users can forward the spam text and call they receive and let relevant units fine the spa妹妹ers.

For the first time, Việt Nam will have a national list of subscribers who do not want to receive any advertising text messages (National Do not call - DNC) so users on the list won't receive spam messages or calls. Local phone users can register on the list via the system  五 六 五 六.

Advertisers, teleco妹妹unications and internet service providers who make calls or send advertising text messages to the phone numbers on the list will be fined up to VNĐ 一00 million while teleco妹妹unication carriers who still allow the calls and texts to go through will be fined from VNĐ 一 四0 million to VNĐ 一 七0 million.

According to the decree, advertisers can only send advertising text messages if they send a copy of each text message to the system  五 六 五 六 as well.

According to the decree, firms providing internet and teleco妹妹unication services have to comply with the MIC’s requirements on the prevention and handling of spam.

Though she's happy with the decree, Thu is still sceptical about how effective it will be.

“There have been so many unsuccessful actions to stop spam in Việt Nam as the messages and calls can bring profit to the providers. Can a decree prevent them all or will the providers have other ways to let them happen again必修” she asked.

“I have been so disappointed with former regulations that failed to stop the spa妹妹ers. Now we just wait and see,"大众she said. — VNS