Flooding Vietnam's Facebook: Prevalence of Online Gambling and Adult Ads
Unbridled Digital Gambling and Adult Content Ads Pervade Facebook in Vietnam
Vietnam's gambling laws remain stringent, with only eight casinos open to foreigners, and ads promoting such activities prohibited. However, a new report indicates that Facebook is flooded with ads offering gambling services and adult content, targeting users in Vietnam.
In a recent survey by VnExpress, 96% of participants admitted to encountering gambling ads, alongside other offensive content, while scrolling through Facebook. The recurrence of such advertisements was confirmed by 81% of respondents.
Mai Thanh Phu, an online marketing expert, states that Facebook's censorship system is ineffective. The system supposedly analyzes only the initial live stream to grant approval and not the entire duration. This loophole allows people to secure approval for a clean live stream initially, only to transform it into advertising for gambling later.
Hoang Quan, an office clerk from Da Nang's Thanh Khe District, reported seeing gambling game ads frequently on Facebook. Ads featuring women dressed provocatively are also prevalent, especially when browsing or watching Reels. Quan noted that gambling ads tend to surface around 4 PM, while adult content ads featuring sexy models appear during the evening.
Another Facebook user confirmed Quan's account, stating that gambling and adult content ads are constantly present on the social media platform. This user deemed such content as "toxic" and added that he witnesses gambling ads alongside posts from friends and an array of live streams featuring inappropriate content.
Vietnam is working on expanding its e-commerce and digital regulations, but explicit rules regarding Facebook advertising of gambling and adult content remain unclear. The regulatory framework focuses more on financial transparency and post-hoc penalties, leaving room for ads promoting sensitive content to evade detection. As such, Vietnam's current approach appears to be more reactive than proactive, making it challenging to address and prevent such issues thoroughly.
- Plenty of Facebook users in Vietnam, such as Hoang Quan from Da Nang's Thanh Khe District, have reported encountering online gambling ads and adult content frequently on the platform.
- A recent report by VnExpress indicated that 96% of participants admitted to seeing gambling ads while scrolling through Facebook, with 81% confirming the recurrence of such advertisements.
- Mai Thanh Phu, an online marketing expert, cited Facebook's censorship system as ineffective, suggesting that it only analyzes the initial live stream for approval, creating a loophole for content transformation into advertising for gambling later.
- The regulatory framework in Vietnam focuses on financial transparency and post-hoc penalties, leaving explicit rules regarding Facebook advertising of gambling and adult content unclear, making it challenging to address and prevent such issues thoroughly.
