New decree to help stamp out spam

The Hanoi Times - The Ministry of Information and Communications’ decree o­n spam will save users from guerrilla marketers, Vu Quoc Khanh, head of the Viet Nam Computer Emergency Response Team said.In a developing country like Viet Nam, advertising o­n the Internet and other telecom networks is cheaper for businesses and quicker, Khanh said.But many companies have begun to abuse the system, sending spam mails, bothering users, he said.Khanh said the number of spam mails and messages have already begun to decrease since the Decree o­n Spam took effect last Monday.Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Hong Minh said the VNCERT has set up a website to co-ordinate anti-spam activities at http://antispam.vncert.gov.vn.Do Ngoc Duy Trac, Director of Operation at VNCERT, said it has determined the responsibilities and obligations of service providers, including advertising companies, Internet and telecom service providers, and digital content providers.They would have to register for a code number and agree to certain obligations, he added.The decree stipulates a penalty of VND100,000 to VND100 million ($6-6,000) for violations.