Watchdog Urges Facebook, YouTube To Stop Helping Vietnam In Repression Of Online Content

Watchdog Urges Facebook, YouTube to Stop Helping Vietnam in Repression of Online Content

A prominent international human rights watchdog on Tuesday called on US social media giants Facebook and YouTube to stop censoring online content in Vietnam, which makes them complicit in the Vietnamese government's repression and harassment of its population

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2020) A prominent international human rights watchdog on Tuesday called on US social media giants Facebook and YouTube to stop censoring online content in Vietnam, which makes them complicit in the Vietnamese government's repression and harassment of its population.

Amnesty International released a report documenting systematic repression of peaceful online expression in Vietnam, including the blocking of content critical of the government and arresting users, based on dozens of interviews with human rights defenders and activists, in addition to the information provided by Facebook and Google. According to the report, Vietnam is currently holding 170 prisoners of conscience, 69 of whom are in jail for their social media activity.

"Based on dozens of testimonies and evidence, Amnesty International's report shows how Facebook and YouTube's increasing censorship of content in Viet Nam operates in practice. In some cases, users see their content censored under vaguely worded local laws, including offences such as 'abusing democratic freedoms' under the country's Criminal Code. Amnesty International views these laws as inconsistent with Viet Nam's obligations under international human rights law," the watchdog said in a press release.

YouTube and Facebook have won praise from the Vietnamese authorities for complying with 90 and 95 percent of the government's censorship requests, respectively, according to the report.

"Companies - including Facebook and Google - have a responsibility to respect all human rights wherever they operate. They should respect the right to freedom of expression in their content moderation decisions globally, regardless of local laws that muzzle freedom of expression. Tech giants should also overhaul their content moderation policies to ensure their decisions align with international human rights standards," the statement read.

Amnesty International then called for an immediate and unconditional release of all prisoners of conscience in Vietnam, as well as for the reforms of repressive laws that stifle freedom of expression in the country.