Vietnam may require telecom companies to identify users’ IP addresses

The draft amendment to the Cybersecurity Law and Cyberinformation Safety Law was presented to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Tuesday by Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Long, Deputy Minister of Public Security.

Under the proposal, telecom service providers would be obliged to verify and provide users’ IP addresses to specialized cybersecurity units for state management and security purposes.

Authorities argued that current practices are insufficient, with fewer than 40 percent of IP lookups linked to subscriber information, complicating efforts to protect national security and public order.

The draft also stipulates that government agencies, state-owned enterprises, and political organizations must allocate at least 10 percent of total project budgets to cybersecurity measures when investing in IT development.

Tran Thanh Man, chairman of the country’s law-making National Assembly, stressed that cybersecurity is a pressing issue, especially amid the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).

He cited examples of AI-generated voice and image manipulation used for extortion, noting that servers often operate abroad, making law enforcement difficult.

He called for a clearer distinction between ‘cybersecurity,’ which relates to national security and crime prevention, and ‘cyberinformation safety,’ which involves data protection and technical safeguards.

He said this would avoid legal overlap and clarify responsibilities among regulatory agencies.

The top Vietnamese lawmaker also raised concerns over personal data protection and privacy rights, particularly regarding cross-border platforms like Facebook, Google, and TikTok.

He urged stronger penalties for privacy violations and proposed establishing a specialized supervisory agency for data protection.

The chairman further emphasized the need to update criminal codes to address cybercrime and expand international cooperation, as many offenders operate outside Vietnam.

Advanced surveillance technologies, including AI and big data analysis, could enhance enforcement, he added, but strict safeguards are necessary to prevent abuse and protect citizens’ privacy.