'Increasingly complicit': Google, Facebook accused of censoring content in Vietnam

Amnesty International has accused tech giants like Facebook and Google of censoring dissent in Vietnam at behest of authorities. Amnesty International, in a 78-p report on how tech giants are operating in repressive countries, has accused Facebook and YouTube of blocking content deemed critical of authorities. All while State-sponsored harassment of everyday users continues on social media. 

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'Increasingly complicit'

report titled 'Let us Brea!: Censorship and criminalization of online expression in Viet Nam' is based on dozens of interviews with human rights activists, including former prisoners of conscience, lawyers, journalists, and writers. report states that Vietnam is currently holding 170 people for criticising authorities, of whom 69 are held for ir social media activity. 

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"In last decade, right to freedom of expression flourished on Facebook and YouTube in Viet Nam. More recently, however, authorities began focusing on peaceful online expression as an existential threat to regime. Today se platforms have become hunting grounds for censors, military cyber-troops and state-sponsored trolls. platforms mselves are t merely letting it happen – y’re increasingly complicit," said Ming Yu Hah, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for Campaigns.

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Facebook in April this year anunced that it had agreed to increase its compliance with requests from Vietnamese authorities to remove content from platform latter deemed "anti-national". social media giant justified its decision by claiming that authorities in Vietnam were deliberately slowing traffic down to convey a warning. Meanwhile, YouTube is kwn for being a favourite of Vietnamese authorities because of its high rate of compliance with requests from local law bodies. 

Netizens have complained of ir content being blocked under vaguely defined local laws, including offences such as “abusing democratic freedoms” under country’s Criminal Code. 

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