The questions asked to Mr. Hung on June 5 were about the use of tech solutions to minimize shortcomings in e-commerce and solutions to protect personal data in e-commerce transactions.

According to the Minister, e-commerce is created by digital technology, while technology always produces technological problems. And the best way to settle the problem is technology.

He noted that Vietnam has not invested heavily in digital technological instruments to conduct state management in cyberspace.

“We need to consider digital technology as the major management force on cyberspace. I totally agree with Tran Thi Kim Nhung, a National Assembly deputy from Quang Ninh, that it is necessary to use technology to control technology,” Hung said.

To control cyberspace, there must be digital institution, digital instruments, and digital human resources, which means digital skills for all people.

As e-commerce has been growing rapidly by 20-25 percent, and at times 30 percent a year, digital institutions, digital instruments and digital skills are behind. That is why it is necessary to speed up implementation of solutions. Of these, developing digital instruments could be done first and most quickly.

“There are millions of products on e-commerce platforms, associated with millions of ads. It is impossible to control transactions manually, but it is a must to use digital technology,” Hung said.

Moving to a digital environment means creating opportunities to supervise and discover problems, to warn about and prevent illegal behaviors and abnormal transactions, by using modern technologies.

For example, it is necessary to develop software that can discover ads with wrong information, and detect counterfeit products.

E-commerce platforms, according to Hung, can set AI (artificial intelligence) algorithms to detect, filter and block violating ads.

Vietnam has great advantages to do this. There are many excellent digital firms which can develop the software. The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) and digital tech can help the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) to develop digital instruments for e-commerce.

Hung said he hopes the National Assembly will pay more attention to digital technology and invest more to develop digital instruments to control e-commerce and cyberspace..

Personal data protection

Replying to a question about personal data protection, Hung said protecting personal data as the most important personal asset is a must.

As e-commerce has developed rapidly, more and more personal data are collected, stored and processed, which is associated with the risk of leakage.

The government has promulgated Resolution 13 on personal information which stipulates that ministries, branches and localities must take state responsibility in protecting personal data in the business fields they manage.

“This means that ministries have to undertake state management in their fields in both real life and in cyberspace,” Hung said. “The government has set up a roadmap for building a law on personal data protection."

In addition, it is necessary to ensure safety for personal information storage and protection systems. MIC has proposed the government promulgating Decree 85 on ensuring information systems at different levels, and all e-commerce platforms must comply with the decree.

The Prime Minister has instructed ministries and branches to implement the solutions to information security assurance. E-commerce is considered an important field which needs enhancement in information protection.

Minister Hung stressed that personal data protection is among the most important tasks and his ministry has applied a series of measures to protect people on cyberspace in general and e-commerce in particular.

For example, MIC has deployed a network credit ecosystem which certifies websites’ capability of ensuring information security, personal data and gives labels of credit to more than 5,000 authentic websites. It has also announced fraudulent webs.

The ministry has also developed and put into use the tools that help people examine their computers and phones to find out if they are infected with malware, if their personal information leaks, and if a website is fraud at khonggianmang.vn.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien also gave answers to questions about e-commerce and related issues.

In 2023, his ministry requested e-commerce platforms and webs to check, block and remove 6,254 e-commerce stalls with 23,359 violating products. The market surveillance unit took 834 inspection tours, handled 764 cases and imposed the fines of VND12 billion.

Thu Hang - Quang Phong - Tran Thuong