Vietnam's new 'draconian' internet laws heighten free speech fears

Social media users in Vietnam on platforms such as Facebook and TikTok will need to verify their identities as part of strict new internet regulations that critics say further undermine freedom of expression in the communist country.

- AFP

BANGKOK -

The law, which comes into force on Christmas Day, will compel tech giants operating in Vietnam to store user data, provide it to the authorities on request, and remove content the government regards as "illegal" within 24 hours.

Decree 147, as it is known, builds on a 2018 cyber-security law that was sharply criticised by the United States, European Union and internet freedom advocates who say it mimics China's repressive censorship of the internet.

Vietnam's hardline administration generally moves swiftly to stamp out dissent and arrest critics, especially those who find an audience on social media.

In October, blogger Duong Van Thai - who had almost 120,000 followers on YouTube, where he regularly recorded live streaming critical of the government - was jailed for 12 years on charges of publishing anti-state information.

Months earlier, leading independent journalist Huy Duc, author of one of the most popular blogs in Vietnam - which took aim at the government on issues including media control and corruption - was arrested.

His posts "violated interests of the state", the authorities said.