Five network operators combat spam messages

Illustration photo

Representatives of the five telecom operators signed the agreement on May 11, witnessed by leaders of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC).

Telecom operators announced that they only had measures to prevent on-net rubbish messages without comprehensive solutions.

Under the drastic instruction of the MoIC, network operators withdrew nearly 20 million of activated subscriber identity modules.

Each network operator pledges to offer a telephone number for people to complaint rubbish messages.  

Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Phan Tam assessed that the move reflected the determination to prevent rubbish messages and advertisement messages which infringe regulations of Decree 90/2008/ND-CP and Decree 77/2012/ND-CP on prevention of rubbish messages.

Viet Nam replaced Russia as the second-biggest source of spam in the first quarter of 2016, with the U.S. remaining on top of the list, software security firm Kaspersky said in its latest Lab Spam and Phishing Report on May 12, 2016.

Spam is costing businesses enormous amounts of money and time in handling unwanted messages and maintaining necessary bandwidth. It is therefore alarming to note that Viet Nam produces 3.07% of the world’s spam, placing it seventh in the global ranking published by SophosLabs in its Security Threat Report 2012. As the mobile phone market in Viet Nam continues to grow, spam has not only become an everyday nuisance, but also poses a serious threat to security./.

By Kim Anh