At Program No. 02 on the 2026 Work Program of the Central Steering Committee for Science, Technology Development, Innovation and Digital Transformation, the Ministry of Public Security is assigned the task of presiding over and coordinating with relevant ministries, branches, and localities to advise and submit to the Government for promulgation a Government resolution on the development of digital citizens, to be completed in February 2026.
In the draft Resolution on developing digital citizens, the Ministry of Public Security proposed expanding VNeID to become a "super application" with unlimited utilities, including providing national e-wallets and digital payment services, providing secure personal digital signatures, providing personal data warehouses, providing official email addresses for each citizen, and developing social networks (SNSs).
According to the draft submission, the Ministry of Public Security emphasizes that social networks developed by private enterprises are currently generating a situation of virtual accounts, fake news, and fraud. The State also lacks a legitimate, two-way communication channel to communicate policies and listen to feedback.
Therefore, the Ministry of Public Security affirms that the construction and development of the national identification application VNeID is a "super application" aimed at creating a SNS where 100% of users are absolutely verified (through VNeID). This will also be an official channel for citizens to contribute opinions, refute and state agencies to inform and solve the root of the fake news problem.
Talking to Lao Dong, technology expert Tran Hai Long (AI Scientist, Brickteck JSC) said that mandatory identity verification can significantly reduce virtual accounts, impersonation and fraud. This is because each account is associated with a real identity and has traceability when violating legal regulations or content rules.
However, Mr. Tran Hai Long also warned that when the system has to collect, store and process personal data on a large scale, the risk of information leakage or illegal exploitation will increase if there is no strong enough security mechanism. In particular, when identification data is interconnected with many other services, the level of sensitivity and potential impact is even greater.
According to experts, to ensure a balance between the requirement for identity transparency and privacy, it is necessary to design a mechanism for data transparency: Clearly disclose what type of information is collected, the purpose of use, storage time and sharing scope; and at the same time grant users the right to control personal data, including the ability to track access, limit sharing or hide unnecessary information.
He also suggested minimizing the separation between identification data and social media activities. The system can only confirm "legitimate identified accounts" instead of displaying or transmitting all personal data to the interactive platform.
Along with that, there needs to be an independent monitoring mechanism to ensure data access and use for the right purpose, avoiding abuse or infringement of privacy" - the technology expert emphasized.
Mr. Tran Hai Long also said that if everyone is forced to disclose their identities when participating in discussions, the space to express opinions may be narrowed. In some cases, users have a need to protect personal safety when expressing sensitive opinions.
Therefore, the process of policy design and technical infrastructure needs to take into account the factor of protecting the legitimate freedom of expression, while still ensuring responsibility and compliance with the law in the digital environment.
