Cybersecurity
Vietnam Parliament Passes Cyber Law Denounced in Street Protests
- Law gives authorities wide discretion to censor online critics
- Police have stepped up crackdowns on bloggers since 2016
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Vietnam’s National Assembly has passed a cybersecurity law requiring companies such as Alphabet Inc.’s Google and Facebook Inc. to store all data of Vietnam-based users in the country and open local offices.
The measure has drawn rare dissent from some lawmakers and government leaders as well as local tech groups, who sent a petition to the legislature that warned it would hurt the economy. Demonstrators on Sunday protested nationwide against the bill, saying it would limit free speech.