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VIETNAM-POLITICS-RIGHTS-CYBERSECURITY
Vietnam MPs approve sweeping cyber security law
HANOI, June 12, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Vietnamese lawmakers on Tuesday approved a
sweeping cyber security law which could compel Facebook and Google to take
down critical posts within 24 hours, as space for debate is crushed inside
the Communist country.
Activists and dissenters are routinely harassed, jailed or tied up in
legal cases in Vietnam, a one-party state which is hyper-sensitive to
critical public opinion.
Social media and Internet forums have provided a rare platform to share
and debate views against authorities.
But the bill, waved through by an overwhelming majority of MPs in the
National Assembly, is poised to end that relative freedom.
The law’s far-reaching provisions mean internet companies will have to
remove posts deemed to be a “national security” threat within a day and store
personal information and data of their users inside Vietnam.
“Currently, Google and Facebook store personal data of Vietnamese users in
Hong Kong and Singapore,” Vo Trong Viet, chairman of National Assembly’s
defence and security committee told lawmakers.
“Putting data centres in Vietnam will increase expenses for the service
providers… but it is necessary to meet the requirements of the country’s
cyber security.”
The new law also outlaws material encouraging public gatherings or that
“offends” everything from the national flag to the country’s leaders and
“heroes”.
There was no immediate detail of the punishment for breaching the law.
Only 15 out of the 466 MPs present in the rubber-stamp assembly voted
against the bill, which the government says will become law from January 1,
2019.
Rights advocates said the bill further shrinks the small space for debate.
“In the country’s deeply repressive climate, the online space was a
relative refuge where people could go to share ideas and opinions with less
fear of censure by the authorities,” said Clare Algar of Amnesty
International.
“With the sweeping powers it grants the government to monitor online
activity, this vote means there is now no safe place left.”
The country’s conservative leadership, which has been in charge since
2016, is waging a crackdown on activists and dissidents.
It has jailed scores of bloggers and dissidents for criticising the
regime.
At least 26 dissidents and actives have been prosecuted during the first
five months this year, according to Human Rights Watch.
The government has also unveiled a 10,000-strong brigade to fight
cybercrimes and “wrongful views” on the internet, according to state media
reports.
The unit, dubbed Force 47, is also tasked with fighting anti-state
propaganda on the web. BSS/AFP/MR/ 1200 hrs