Vietnam set to tighten clamps on Facebook and Google, threatening dissidents

Rights activist Le Van Dung (R) live streams on Facebook in a coffee shop in Hanoi, Vietnam May 15, 2018. Picture taken May 15, 2018. REUTERS/Kham

HANOI/SINGAPORE: A struggle over Internet laws in Vietnam is pitting a government keen on maintaining tight control against US technology companies trying to fight off onerous new rules – with the country's online dissidents among the biggest losers.

The latest conflict centres on new cybersecurity legislation set for a vote by Vietnamese lawmakers later this month. It aims to impose new legal requirements on internet companies, and hardens policing of online dissent.