Vietnam’s Internet Control: Following in China’s Footsteps?
On January 1 of this year, a new cybersecurity law entered into effect in Vietnam after its passage in the Vietnamese National Assembly in June 2018. The law (original; unofficial translation) had a number of concerning elements, which included granting the government relatively unchecked authorities to delete or block access to data infringing upon cybersecurity, defined as “national security, social order and safety, or the lawful rights and interests or agencies, organizations and individuals”; granting the government authority to inspect computer systems on the basis of working to improve cybersecurity; and criminalizing propaganda against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. All in all, it ramps up government powers to monitor information and communications systems within Vietnam and to block and delete online content and data.
Justin Sherman
