HANOI: Vietnam’s government is seeking to increase scrutiny of livestream content on social media such as Facebook and Google, in its latest move to rein in online activities it deems to be anti-state.
In a draft decree by the information and communications ministry, cross-border social media platforms operating in Vietnam must provide contact information of account operators with more than 10,000 followers or subscribers.
While the decree covers domestic social media operators such as Zalo, a home-grown social provider, most livestream videos are hosted on foreign platforms.
The ministry estimates the top 10 Vietnamese social media platforms have about 80 million users combined, while foreign competitors are dominant, with Facebook’s 65 million users, YouTube’s 60 million users and TikTok’s 20 million.
“These platforms have not fully abided by Vietnamese laws,” the ministry said.
“A lot of content posted there is disinformation, causing instability and frustration in the society and inequality between domestic and foreign companies.”
Facebook and TikTok had no immediate comment when contacted by Reuters, while Google did not immediately respond.
The ministry said people were increasingly using platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok to deliver their own news or provide false information.
The draft, which has yet to be approved, requires social media providers to block or remove flagged content within 24 hours upon “justified” requests by Vietnamese individuals and affected organizations.
Reuters reported last week social media “influencers” were more likely to be soldiers than celebrities, known as Force 47 and tasked with setting up, moderating and posting on pro-state Facebook groups, to correct “wrong views” online.
Vietnam has seen a major tightening of online content, with ramped up censorship of posts, culls on accounts spreading “wrong views” and frequent criticism by regulators of some global firms.
Its 2018 cybersecurity law requires foreign companies to set up local offices and store data in Vietnam. Facebook has said it does not store user data in the country.
Vietnam to tighten grip on social media livestream activity
https://arab.news/9ymbr
Vietnam to tighten grip on social media livestream activity
- Vietnam aims to tighten grip on livestreaming on social media such as Facebook and Google in latest step to curb anti-state online activities
- The ministry said people were increasingly using social media platforms to deliver their own news or provide false information
Tunisian filmmaker wins $1 million global AI film contest in Dubai
- The French-language short film, “Lily,” was created entirely using Google’s generative AI tools
- The winning film was selected from 3,500 film submissions
DUBAI: Tunisian filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi on Saturday won the inaugural $1 million AI film award, launched in collaboration with Google’s Gemini, for his short movie, “Lily.”
He was declared the winner in a ceremony held during the second day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai where Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, chairperson of the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, presented the award.
The French-language short film, “Lily,” created entirely using Google’s generative AI tools — including Gemini, Veo 3, Imagen and Flow — was named after the filmmaker’s daughter, who inspired the story.
The nine-minute film follows a lonely archivist haunted by a doll caught on his car bumper during a hit-and-run accident, forcing him to confront his guilt, confess to the police, and reunite the doll with the injured child in the hospital.
“My daughter has a doll, which is also called Lily. This doll lived with us through our moments of grievances, joy, and victories,” Jlassi told Arab News.
He said the film, which took a month to complete, portrays the doll as the protagonist’s silent witness and secretkeeper, ultimately prompting his moral awakening and bringing him back to life. The film’s message, he added, is that routine can dull self-awareness, preventing people from confronting their own truths and taking responsibility for their mistakes.
“With this film, I hope to inspire aspiring filmmakers to dream, take ideas from their archives, execute them and share them on their own platforms without relying on large production budgets or expensive equipment,” he told Arab News.
“This is the beauty of technology; it unleashes creativity without limits.”
The winning film was selected from 3,500 film submissions from 16 countries, with organizers saying the award aimed to encourage the use of AI in producing meaningful films and enhance the creators’ ability to deliver humanitarian stories.
It also looked to empower young people to leverage technology in boosting their creativity and creating artworks that bridge cultures.
The shortlisting process took place over multiple stages. A jury of international technology experts and filmmakers selected 12 films based on the storytelling originality, narrative structure, visual aesthetics, creative use of AI technologies, overall creativity, emotional impact, and adherence to transparency and ethical principles.
The five finalists were selected after public voting of the works selected by the jury, organizers said.
Each film had to be powered by at least 70 percent generative AI tools from Google — including Veo, Imagen and Flow — or third-party platforms that run on Gemini’s technology. The tech company said that the entries underwent advanced technical assessment and AI verification to ensure submissions met the criteria.
The remaining finalists were “Portrait No. 72” by Rodson Verr Suarez of the Philippines; “Cats Like Warmth” by South Korean director Lee Su Yeol; “Heal” by Egyptian director Mohamed Gomaa; and “The Translator” by US-based Pylyp Li.
The top five AI-generated short films were screened on the first day of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, a gathering of content creators aiming to explore how new media can drive positive change and fuel sustainable economic growth.
