Vietnam proposes expanding electronic identification to goods and digital assets

During the second session of the 16th National Assembly, Minister of Public Security Luong Tam Quang presented a draft law on electronic identification and authentication. The proposal seeks to codify these regulations into law for the first time, expanding the scope of electronic identification to five distinct groups.

These groups include agencies, organizations, and individuals; physical products, goods, and material assets; databases, data files, images, audio, video, applications, software, and digital services; events, transactions, and behaviors; and locations and spaces. The government will also be tasked with regulating electronic identification within the military, defense, and cipher sectors.

The draft law emphasizes the principle of minimal data collection, prohibiting the re-collection of existing data. It also strictly forbids the use of fake biometrics, artificial images created via technology, or other fraudulent methods to establish or forge electronic identities. The proposed framework establishes three authentication models: centralized, intermediary, and independent.