[International] TikTok's Interactive Mechanisms Become a Breeding Ground for Scams; Vietnam Cracks Down on Criminal 'Gangster Influencers'
RtiTalk 小編19d ago
In August, Vietnam successively prosecuted and arrested several 'gangster influencers' with millions of followers. These influencers used the TikTok platform to spread toxic content such as violence and flaunting wealth to gain followers, and illegally profited by selling counterfeit goods through live streaming e-commerce. The government is not only mending loopholes in e-commerce regulation but also severely punishing the online chaos of using algorithms for organized crime.
According to Vietnam News Agency, Vietnam has about 70 million TikTok users, making it the second-largest user country in Southeast Asia, trailing only Indonesia. Besides social entertainment, it has also become a platform for live streaming and shopping.
However, this has also led to many problems, becoming a place for corruption. In recent years, the Vietnamese government has cracked down severely on organized crimes such as online fraud, smuggling, tax evasion, and selling counterfeit goods, with 'gangster influencers' (Giang hồ mạng) drawing attention.
A Vietnamese Youth newspaper (Tuổi Trẻ) analysis on the 19th, titled 'Vietnam's Hottest TikTok Influencers Are All Fugitives from the Tax Bureau,' pointed out that 'gangster influencers' are a peculiar cultural phenomenon.
They are usually covered in tattoos, like to display large amounts of cash, luxury cars, or weapons in their videos, help people 'fix things' through live streams, arrange fights, issue threats, or make statements full of 'jianghu' (underworld) loyalty, flaunting a life like outlaws.
VietNamNet pointed out that due to the special mechanisms of TikTok, owned by China's ByteDance, such as the video reply comment function and live stream connections, TikTok has gradually become the core propaganda and fan-gathering base for gangster influencers in recent years.
They not only commit crimes but also produce content involving violence, profanity, or flaunting wealth. They post short videos about gang brotherhood, even arranging public fights, with behavior that walks the line of the law but satisfies the curiosity of some young people, often attracting millions of followers. Most importantly, through TikTok Shop's 'live streaming e-commerce,' the traffic of these online thugs can be directly monetized.
Recently, the Vietnamese government has noticed the hidden criminal problems on TikTok and launched a crackdown. 'Phú Lê,' who has millions of followers on TikTok, sold perfumes, cosmetics, and health supplements on the platform, building a charitable image. On August 18th, he and his wife were formally prosecuted by the Hanoi Public Security Bureau on suspicion of tax evasion, accounting violations, and issuing false invoices.
Another influencer who often partnered with him, Hai Sapa, with over 5 million followers on TikTok, was also arrested for selling falsely labeled products on the platform.
A report by the Vietnamese version of the BBC on the 30th stated that Nguyen Thi Huong, known online as 'Teacher Huong,' and Lê Thị Thanh Hằng, known online as 'Hang Le Thi Ngoc Linh,' are also under investigation by Vietnamese police for allegedly selling products with false information through TikTok live streams.
The BBC pointed out that the controversial top influencer 'Huấn Hoa Hồng,' covered in tattoos, was also prosecuted. He initially focused on Facebook, establishing an online 'gangster boss' image, often displaying large amounts of cash and luxury cars in his live streams, making statements about 'jianghu' ethics, attracting a large number of young fans.
He moved to TikTok in recent years, gaining nearly 6 million followers on the platform, using its monetization capabilities for live streaming income. Recently, he has been investigated for suspected tax evasion and for illegally obtaining huge profits under the guise of collecting charitable donations, and may face imprisonment.
Since last year, Vietnam has begun a series of arrests targeting fraudulent activities in the live streaming economy. An article in the Youth newspaper on the 26th pointed out that the arrests have revealed significant loopholes in the current management and regulation of Vietnam's e-commerce market.
The common pattern for these influencers is to use their influence to sell unregulated goods on the platform, ranging from perfumes, skincare products, cosmetics, food, and countless others, and then conceal their income through complex corporate networks.
The Vietnamese government has recognized the criminal problems brought by TikTok. The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) conducted an inter-ministerial investigation and issued warnings to TikTok in 2023, pointing out significant loopholes in TikTok, such as algorithms that forcibly promote 'toxic content' and 'influencer challenges' for attention. Furthermore, TikTok's high commission rates of up to 70% on mechanisms like live stream gifts have been criticized for failing to prevent the circulation of counterfeit and substandard goods on TikTok Shop.
The Cybersecurity Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam conducted a crackdown in 2024, hoping to sever the distorted industrial chain of online gangs using TikTok's algorithms for illegal profits and tax evasion. Early this year, the Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam announced that due to rampant fraud, TikTok was required to cooperate with the authorities in launching an online anti-fraud campaign.
The Vietnam Competition and Consumer Authority (VCCA) also fined TikTok 880 million Vietnamese dong (approximately NT$1.07 million) for violating Vietnam's consumer protection law. Specific violations include failing to provide users with a mechanism to refuse the use of personal data for advertising, unequal and predatory clauses in standard contracts, and failing to establish a comprehensive complaint mechanism for vulnerable consumers such as children and the elderly.
In response to this ruling, the head of TikTok Vietnam replied that the company has begun making adjustments according to the recommendations of the regulatory authorities. (Editor: Chen Wen-wei)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=229393
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