ENHANCING PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION ON E-COMMERCE PLATFORMS: A CASE STUDY IN VIETNAM
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v22.n2.3116Keywords:
Personal Data, E-commerce, Vietnam, GDPR, Consumer TrustAbstract
In the context of Vietnam's rapidly expanding e-commerce market, personal data has become a critical asset, driving personalization, marketing optimization, and strategic decision-making. However, its use raises significant concerns about consumer privacy. This paper examines the methods of personal data collection and utilization in e-commerce activities, categorizing them into user-provided data (sign-up forms, surveys, reviews) and automatically collected data (cookies, NLP, web scraping). The research examines the diverse roles of data in improving customer experience, streamlining logistics, optimizing customer service, and preventing fraud. A key aspect is the examination of Vietnam's legal framework concerning personal data protection, especially following the milestone enactment of Decree No. 13/2023/ND-CP and Law No. 91/2025/QH15 on Personal Data Protection. While these legislative developments mark a considerable stride towards aligning with international norms, the study highlights notable implementation obstacles. Such obstacles encompass low public understanding, the lack of an autonomous Data Protection Authority (DPA), vagueness in legal definitions, and compliance complexities faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Based on this analysis, the paper proposes specific policy recommendations to bridge the gap between legislation and practice, including the establishment of an independent DPA, the issuance of detailed guidelines, enhanced support for SMEs, and the promotion of public education programs to raise community awareness.
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