Game with reactionary content, opposing the Vietnamese government, removed by Google
By the end of 2017, Google had blocked and removed 6,423/7,410 video clips from YouTube and 6 games from Google Play for violating Vietnamese law. In addition, Google removed the game application “Lất lại quê hương” (Reclaiming the Homeland) with reactionary content against the Vietnamese government from Google Play.
Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan had a courtesy meeting with a high-ranking Google delegation on the morning of January 17. Attending the meeting were representatives of the Ministry's Office, the Department of International Cooperation, the Department of Information Technology, the Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information, the Department of Telecommunications, and the Department of Information Security.
On Google's side, Ms. Ann Lavin, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, Google Asia-Pacific region, led the delegation. In addition, there were Mr. Nitin Gajria, Country Director for Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Google Asia-Pacific region, Ms. Claudia Chan, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, ASEAN and Vietnam, Google Asia-Pacific region.
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| Minister of Information and Communications Truong Minh Tuan received Ms. Ann Lavin, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, Google Asia-Pacific region. Photo: Xuan Loc. |
At the meeting, Minister Truong Minh Tuan acknowledged and highly appreciated the initial cooperation between Google and the Ministry of Information and Communications in recent times. After the meeting in March 2017 with Ms. Ann Lavin, the two sides established a mechanism specifically for Vietnam to handle requests from the Ministry of Information and Communications to prevent and remove information that violates Vietnamese law on YouTube.
As of December 31, 2017, Google has prevented the removal of 6,423/7,410 video clips from YouTube and 6 games from Google Play due to violations of Vietnamese law. In addition, Google has removed the game application "Lất lại quê hương" with reactionary content, opposing the Vietnamese state from Google Play, and removed 6 videos introducing this game on YouTube. Google has removed the applications of 5 G1 video games that have not yet approved the content and script according to regulations from Google Play.
With these results, Minister Truong Minh Tuan said that the issues that Vietnam is concerned about have been met by Google. However, to achieve the requirements, the distance is still very far.
“Vietnam is free and open in using social media, including Google, Facebook and YouTube. We see social media as a road. On that road, there are people who obey the law and those who violate it. We should have coordinated measures to minimize law violations on social media,” Minister Truong Minh Tuan shared.
According to Minister Truong Minh Tuan, it is necessary to respect common international principles, including compliance with the laws of the host country. Vietnam hopes that Google will learn more about Vietnamese laws to coordinate with the Ministry of Information and Communications to handle violations on social networks, especially on YouTube.
The Ministry of Information and Communications has issued a white list and a black list to recommend advertising businesses. Businesses should not cooperate with partners on the black list. These are entities that violate Vietnamese and international laws in promoting obscene, depraved acts, inciting violence, causing division in national unity, slandering, distorting, and insulting the dignity of individuals and organizations.
The Ministry hopes that Google will provide these lists to advertising businesses so that they can confidently advertise on those lists without violating the law. In addition, Vietnam wants Google to help handle issues related to information safety, security, and IT applications in Vietnam. Minister Truong Minh Tuan suggested establishing a separate channel between the Ministry and Google to promote further cooperation.
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| Minister Truong Minh Tuan took a souvenir photo with the Google senior delegation. Photo: Xuan Loc. |
At the meeting, Ms. Ann Lavin, Director of Public Policy and Government Relations, Google Asia-Pacific region, said that after working with the Ministry of Information and Communications in 2017, the two sides understood and cooperated with each other better.
Ms. Ann Lavin pledged: “Google must comply with the laws of the host country wherever it goes, including Vietnam. We hope to play a larger role in supporting economic development and contributing to the 4.0 Industrial Revolution in Vietnam. Therefore, we deeply understand that it is our obligation to respect and comply with the laws of the host country.”
“The purpose of this working trip is to learn about Vietnamese law and work with relevant Vietnamese agencies to better understand and cooperate with Vietnam in the future,” Ms. Ann Lavin affirmed.
Regarding information security and safety, Google has sent an expert to Vietnam to advise on information security and share information with the Vietnamese Government. Regarding the issue that Vietnam is interested in developing the 4.0 Industrial Revolution, Google has seen the potential of the Vietnamese people and committed to supporting Vietnam in developing the digital economy, helping Vietnamese small and medium enterprises to have better access to the world. Google representatives affirmed that they will continue to cooperate more with Vietnam in the future.
