New Internet rules in Vietnam enforced
A controversial media law – Decree 72 – has come into force in Vietnam on September 1, which rules that Internet users are restricted to exchanging only “personal information” online and not discuss any news or political topics.
Particularly, bloggers and users of social networking sites are now banned from discussing current affairs and from publishing material that “opposes” the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or “harms national security,” among other vaguely phrased regulations.
Decree 72 also stipulates that foreign companies wanting to work online in Vietnam must keep at least one server inside the country – a provision widely seen as an attempt to boost government control. Some of the world’s biggest web companies, which had previously been allowed to operate without any technical presence on the ground, have expressed their opposition, citing higher costs that would stifle innovation.
“We believe that the decree will negatively affect Vietnam’s Internet ecosystem,” said the Asia Internet Coalition, which represents Google, Facebook and other leading online web companies.
Furthermore, press freedom organisations have expressed outrage over Decree 72 and called for international pressure to be ramped up.
“The decree is both nonsensical and extremely dangerous,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement, adding that the new rules “will reinforce the legislative arsenal available to the authorities.”
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on US President Barack Obama to take a tougher line with Hanoi.
“We believe that future diplomatic, economic and strategic relations with Vietnam should be predicated on a greater commitment to political openness and demonstrable progress on press freedom conditions,” CPJ executive director Joel Simon said in an open letter.
Currently, around 35 bloggers are jailed in Vietnam.
A controversial media law - Decree 72 - has come into force in Vietnam on September 1, which rules that Internet users are restricted to exchanging only "personal information" online and not discuss any news or political topics. Particularly, bloggers and users of social networking sites are now banned from discussing current affairs and from publishing material that “opposes” the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or “harms national security,” among other vaguely phrased regulations. Decree 72 also stipulates that foreign companies wanting to work online in Vietnam must keep at least one server inside the country - a provision widely seen...
A controversial media law – Decree 72 – has come into force in Vietnam on September 1, which rules that Internet users are restricted to exchanging only “personal information” online and not discuss any news or political topics.
Particularly, bloggers and users of social networking sites are now banned from discussing current affairs and from publishing material that “opposes” the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or “harms national security,” among other vaguely phrased regulations.
Decree 72 also stipulates that foreign companies wanting to work online in Vietnam must keep at least one server inside the country – a provision widely seen as an attempt to boost government control. Some of the world’s biggest web companies, which had previously been allowed to operate without any technical presence on the ground, have expressed their opposition, citing higher costs that would stifle innovation.
“We believe that the decree will negatively affect Vietnam’s Internet ecosystem,” said the Asia Internet Coalition, which represents Google, Facebook and other leading online web companies.
Furthermore, press freedom organisations have expressed outrage over Decree 72 and called for international pressure to be ramped up.
“The decree is both nonsensical and extremely dangerous,” Reporters Without Borders said in a statement, adding that the new rules “will reinforce the legislative arsenal available to the authorities.”
Meanwhile, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on US President Barack Obama to take a tougher line with Hanoi.
“We believe that future diplomatic, economic and strategic relations with Vietnam should be predicated on a greater commitment to political openness and demonstrable progress on press freedom conditions,” CPJ executive director Joel Simon said in an open letter.
Currently, around 35 bloggers are jailed in Vietnam.
