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Facebook, Google face tighter rules in Vietnam amid internet crackdown

Global tech firms such as Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc. unit Google Inc. face a tougher regulatory climate in Vietnam under a cybersecurity law that has been approved by the country's National Assembly, Bloomberg News reported.

The legislation, which takes effect Jan. 1, 2019, requires tech companies to locally store personal data of Vietnam-based users and for them to open offices in the country. The law reportedly also allows authorities to censor content that is deemed "illegal" and to prosecute people for posting such content.

Some lawmakers, government leaders and local tech groups warned that the law could hurt the economy. Demonstrators also protested that the law would limit freedom of speech, according to the report.

International human rights advocacy group Amnesty International warned that the new legislation has "potentially devastating consequences for freedom of expression" in Vietnam, given the country's "deeply repressive climate."

The U.S. embassy in Hanoi, meanwhile, said the cyber law "may present serious obstacles to Vietnam's cybersecurity and digital innovation future, and may not be consistent with Vietnam's international trade commitments."

Vietnam has been working to tighten its control of the internet. In 2017, the government unveiled a 10,000-person military cyber warfare unit to fight "wrong" views on the internet, while it asked YouTube and Facebook to remove inappropriate content from their sites.

Facebook agreed to prioritize content removal requests from Vietnam's Ministry of Information and Communications, as well as from other government authorities. The Vietnamese government has also exerted pressure on local firms to boycott advertising on Facebook and YouTube in protest to "toxic" anti-government information on social media sites.