Vietnam's restrictive internet law comes into force

A new internet law that gives the Vietnamese government expanded powers over internet services and people using them is set to officially take effect Wednesday.

Decree 147 expands government control over access to information on the internet for reasons of "national security" and "social order."

The law requires social media platforms providing services to users in Vietnam to store user data and provide it to authorities on demand.

The government issued the decree this November, and it requires organizations to take down anything the authorities consider "illegal content" within 24 hours.

Decree 147 sparks concerns over online free speech

Decree 147 has sparked concerns, with researchers and experts tracking the country saying that the law is part of a growing crackdown on civil society.

"Because the Vietnamese police treat any criticism of the Communist Party of Vietnam as a national security matter, this decree will provide them with yet another tool to suppress dissent," said Patricia Gossman, associate Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

What to know about the decree

The decree requires tech giants like Facebook and TikTok among other organizations, to verify user accounts using people's phone numbers or personal identification numbers. It requires companies to store that data. 

Decree 147 also requires organizations to provide search and content-scanning tools to government authorities upon request. It limits certain functions, like live video streaming, to only verified accounts.

Critics say the tightening of use of internet services stifles free thought and expression.  It also deeply affects the large number of people earning a living through social media channels.

Game publishers, for example, are required to limit sessions to one hour at a time and no more than 180 minutes a day for all games.

Activists voice concern over new law

Activist Dang Thi Hue, who has 28,000 followers on Facebook, wrote: "Decree 147 will be used to publicly suppress those with different viewpoints."

Meanwhile, former political prisoner Le Anh Hung pointed out that this was "the latest sign of infringement of basic freedoms... with a vague line between what is legal and what is not."

"No one wants to go to jail, so of course some activists will be more cautious and afraid of this decree," she said.

In October, independent Vietnamese blogger Duong Van Thai was sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of anti-state propaganda. 

mk/rm (AFP, HRW)