US criticises Vietnam social media decree
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The US embassy in Hanoi said yesterday that it was "deeply concerned" by a new Internet decree which would bar people in Vietnam from posting information found online onto social media and other websites.
“Fundamental freedoms apply online just as they do offline,” the embassy said on its website.
“We have repeatedly raised our concerns about this decree with senior Vietnamese government officials, and we call on the Vietnamese government to respect the right to freedom of expression.”
The decree states that blogs and other social media sites must contain only personal information, and is due to take effect on September 1.
The US embassy said the law would also limit the development of Vietnam’s budding information technology sector “by hampering domestic innovation and deterring foreign investment”.
