Vietnam to block Telegram in early June

[HANOI] Internet service providers in Vietnam must block the Telegram messaging app in the communist country before early June after a request by police, the government said on Friday (May 23).

Telegram’s Russian-born founder and chief executive Pavel Durov was arrested in August last year at a Paris airport and later charged with several counts of failing to curb extremist and terrorist content on the app.

Vietnam’s telecommunications department sent letters to Internet service providers warning that there were “signs of law violation” on Telegram, citing the ministry of public security, a report on the government’s news portal said.

Up to 68 per cent of 9,600 channels on Telegram Vietnam contain “poisonous and bad information, the government report said, quoting police.

There are groups and associations on Telegram, involving tens of thousands of members, which disseminate “anti-state documents” and are involved in “reactionary activities”, the report added.

Vietnam’s hardline administration generally moves swiftly to stamp out dissent and arrest critics, especially those who find an audience on social media.

New rules came into force last year that required Facebook and TikTok to verify user identities and hand over data to authorities, in what critics described as the latest attack on freedom of expression.

There are also groups on Telegram that sell users’ data, are involved in drug trafficking, or have terrorist links, according to the government report, citing police.

The law in Vietnam requires Telegram to report these kinds of violations to authorities, but the report said it has failed to do so and was “not cooperative with authorised agencies” in dealing with infringements.

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“Authorised agencies in Vietnam must implement technical measures to prevent behaviour online that undermines national security, social order (and) violating traditional customs,” the report added.

Companies are required to report how they will block Telegram before Jun 2, 2025. AFP