close
close

Ourladyoftheassumptionparish

Part – Newstatenabenn

U.S. tech companies warn Vietnam’s planned law will hamper data centers, social media – Tech
patheur

U.S. tech companies warn Vietnam’s planned law will hamper data centers, social media – Tech

S-tech companies have warned Vietnam’s government that a bill to tighten rules on data protection and limit data transfers abroad would prevent social media platforms and data center operators from growing their businesses. in the country.

The Southeast Asian nation with a population of 100 million is one of the world’s largest markets for Facebook and other online platforms, and aims to exponentially grow its data center industry with foreign investment in the coming years.

The bill “will make it difficult for technology companies, social media platforms and data center operators to reach the customers who depend on them every day,” said Jason Oxman, who chairs the Industry Council of Information Technology (ITI), a trade association representing big technology companies such as Meta, Google and data center operator Equinix.

The bill, which is being discussed in parliament, is also designed to facilitate authorities’ access to information and was requested by the Ministry of Public Security, Vietnamese and foreign officials said.

The public security ministry and information ministry did not respond to attempts to contact them by email and phone.

Vietnam’s parliament is discussing the law in its current month-long session and is scheduled to pass it on Nov. 30 “if eligible,” according to its schedule, which is subject to change.

every monday

With exclusive interviews and in-depth coverage of the region’s most pressing business issues, “Prospects” is the go-to source for staying ahead in Indonesia’s rapidly evolving business landscape.

for subscribing to our newsletter!

Please check your email for your newsletter subscription.

See more newsletter

Existing Vietnamese regulations already limit cross-border data transfers in some circumstances, but are rarely enforced.

It is unclear how the new law, if adopted, would impact foreign investment in the country. Reuters reported in August that Google was considering establishing a large data center in southern Vietnam before the bill was introduced in parliament.

Research firm BMI had said Vietnam could become a major regional player in the data center industry as limits on foreign ownership end next year.

Among the provisions of the bill is prior authorization for the transfer abroad of “basic data” and “important data”, which are currently vaguely defined.

“That will hamper business operations abroad,” Oxman told Reuters.

Technology companies and other firms favor cross-border data flows to reduce costs and improve services, but multiple jurisdictions, including the European Union and China, have limited such transfers, saying it allows them to better protect privacy and sensitive information.

Under the bill, companies will have to share data with the ruling Communist Party of Vietnam and state organizations in multiple vaguely defined cases, including “fulfillment of a specific task of public interest.”

The U.S. tech industry has expressed concerns to Vietnamese authorities about “the undue expansion of government access to data,” Oxman said.

The new law “would cause significant compliance challenges for most private sector companies,” said Adam Sitkoff, executive director of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hanoi, noting that talks were underway to persuade authorities to ” reconsider the rushed legislative process” for the law.