Asian Tech Press (Apr. 21) -- Vietnam is planning new rules that will require social media companies to remove what it deems "illegal" content within 24 hours.

There will be no grace period for the 24-hour timeframe to take down "illegal content and services," while active "illegal livestreams" must be blocked within three hours, Reuters reported Wednesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

Companies that don't meet the deadline could see their platforms banned in Vietnam, the sources said.

In addition, social media companies have been told that content that jeopardizes national security must be removed immediately in Vietnam.

The planned amendments to current law are expected to be signed by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh next month and implemented from July.

Most Countries do not have laws forcing social media platforms to remove content, But Vietnam's move has alarmed activists.

Indonesia is also preparing to impose a similar 24-hour time frame on the government's request, sources said.

In Vietnam, Google's YouTube has 60 million users and TikTok has 20 million, according to official estimates for 2021.

And Vietnam, with a population of 98 million, is one of the 10 markets where Facebook has the largest number of users, with 60-70 million people on the platform, bringing in about $1 billion in revenue for it each year.