Hanoi — Vietnamese legislators on Tuesday approved a sweeping cyber security law that 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 that is hyper-sensitive to critical public opinion. Social media and internet forums have provided a rare platform to share and debate anti-authority views. 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 securit...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.