Recently, on popular social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook, many personal accounts have publicly shared instructions on using VPNs, proxies, or other tools to bypass access restrictions to the Telegram messaging app in Vietnam.
This occurred after authorities requested blocking access to Telegram due to concerns about illegal activities, high-tech crime, and harmful content being spread on the platform. In this situation, many users are questioning whether instructing or using bypass tools to continue accessing Telegram violates current legal regulations.
According to legal experts, when a platform is blocked by authorized agencies in Vietnam, intentionally attempting to bypass technical measures such as firewalls, filtering systems, or access blocks may be considered an illegal act. This is specifically regulated in the 2018 Cybersecurity Law, which strictly prohibits actions that violate information systems, bypassing security layers to illegally access networks, or collecting and disseminating unauthorized information.
Depending on the nature and severity of the violation, the offender may face administrative penalties, disciplinary action, or even criminal prosecution. Specifically, according to Decree 15/2020/NĐ-CP on administrative penalties in information technology, telecommunications, and electronic transactions, actions such as providing or sharing bypass tools can result in high monetary fines.
In serious cases, if the act causes significant consequences or involves information theft or disclosure, the offender may be criminally prosecuted under the current Criminal Code, with monetary fines potentially reaching hundreds of millions of dong or imprisonment up to 7 years. Additionally, supplementary penalties such as professional bans or position restrictions may be applied.
Intentionally bypassing security measures like firewalls, passwords, or system administration rights to illegally access network data, if involving system infiltration, may also be classified as "cyber espionage" - one of the particularly serious acts mentioned in the Cybersecurity Law.
In the context of increasingly tightened cybersecurity and more strictly controlled digital platforms, users in Vietnam need to be cautious about sharing information or using bypass tools. This seemingly simple act can lead to serious legal consequences if it violates legal regulations.
Source: Labor Newspaper
