Vietnam wants more control of foreign companies’ customer biometric data

Foreign technology firms, including social media platforms, who are doing business in Vietnam have 13 months to store the data of their Vietnamese customers on shore. They also have to create a physical presence in the Southeast Asian nation by October 2023.

The autocratic government, run by the local Communist Party, also insists that those onshore databases must remain there for two years.

For domestic firms, the deadline is this October 1.

According to Euronews.next, officials have said the measure will improve Vietnam‘s cyber security.

Data ranging from biometric scans and financial records to internet surfing data is explicitly targeted.

Decree 53 has been in the works for “years,” according to an article in trade publication Connectontech. It is not clear why it was on hold.

Beyond the localization order, the decree enables local authorities to take down information deemed to be illegal or fake news. Also, local authorities will have the power to “collect data for purposes of investigation and handling of illegal activities in cyberspace,” according to Connectontech.

Vietnam’s government also announced the launch of a digital ID for citizens earlier this month.

Article Topics

biometric data  |  biometrics  |  cybersecurity  |  data storage  |  legislation  |  social media  |  Vietnam