Websites and social networks will have their licenses revoked if they violate the law.

Accordingly,If the organization or business violatesPoints d, dd, e Clause 1 Article 5 Decree 27/2018/ND-CP and does not meet the conditions specified in Clause 5 Article 23 of this Decree after being requested by the licensing authority to remedy in writing, the licensing authority shall issue a Decision to suspend the License for the general electronic information site, License for establishing a social network of that organization or enterprise; In case of violation of the provisions in Points a, b, c Clause 1 Article 5 Decree 27/2018/ND-CP or having the license suspended twice, the licensing authority shall proceed to revoke the license to establish a general electronic information site, the license to establish a social network. This regulation was issued to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, and is an effective public service to promptly prevent violations when they occur.

The new Decree also adds a number of regulations on procedures for amending, supplementing, re-issuing, and extending licenses to establish websites and social networks; and regulations on domain name conditions.

According to the old regulations, organizations and enterprises wishing to change their head office address must complete procedures to amend and supplement their licenses. Now, general information websites and social networks have been licensed when there is a change in ownership; the head office address only needs to be notified to the licensing authority within 10 working days from the date of change.

The content of the notification includes: Name of the organization or enterprise; license number for establishing a general electronic information website, license for establishing a social network; and changes. Upon receiving the notification, the receiving agency is responsible for sending a confirmation letter to the organization or enterprise within 07 working days from the date of receipt of the notification.

Regarding domain name conditions, from now on, websites and social networks must use at least 01 “.vn” domain name and store information on a server system with an IP address in Vietnam; For international domain names, there must be confirmation of legal use of the domain name.

In addition to adding some new contents, Decree 27/2018/ND-CP also cuts many regulations on procedural conditions to promote a free business environment. Cut 6 conditions in the field of general electronic information pages and social networks, including: 04 conditions on personnel responsible for managing information content; 01 condition on financial plan to ensure the establishment of equipment systems, 01 condition on technical conditions for granting licenses to establish social networks.

Eliminate 2 procedures in granting licenses to establish general information websites and social networks: Certified copy of university degree or equivalent and resume of the person responsible for managing content certified by a competent state agency, with photo and seal. Reduce 2 procedures in granting licenses to establish general information websites and social networks: Instead of requiring submission of certified copies of business registration documents (for enterprises), establishment decisions (for organizations),..., only valid copies are required, including copies issued from the original book or certified copies or copies compared with the originals of the above documents.

The Decree takes effect from April 15, 2018.