Hanoi (AFP)
The NGO Amnesty International accused Facebook on Wednesday of "complicity" with the censorship implemented by Vietnam after the American platform confirmed that it was blocking content "deemed illegal" by the communist regime.
The move is "a devastating turning point," Amnesty International said in a statement. "The ruthless suppression of freedom of expression is nothing new (in Vietnam), but the change in Facebook policy makes them accomplices" of this censorship, added the NGO.
Facebook confirmed in a statement to AFP on Wednesday that it had been instructed by Hanoi to restrict access to content "deemed illegal".
"We have taken this step to ensure that our services remain available and usable for the millions of people in Vietnam who depend on them every day," said a spokesperson for the company.
The one-party government has multiplied the arrests and convictions of opponents present on social networks since the coming to power in 2016 of a new conservative executive.
And the coronavirus pandemic only makes the situation worse.
More than 650 Facebook users have already been questioned by the Vietnamese authorities on publications related to this health crisis and its management by Hanoi, according to data from Amnesty International.
Several people have been fined, the rest are forced to delete their publication, and the government introduced a new device this month that will make it easier to condemn online critics.
About 10% of political prisoners behind bars in Vietnam are detained because of their Facebook activity, according to Amnesty International.
More than 53 million people in Vietnam, out of 95 million inhabitants, use Facebook.
The platform is also a marketing tool widely used by businesses in the country.
bur-aph / sde / mba
© 2020 AFP