Sec. 6. Internet freedom
402 words·~2 min read·
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Congress finds that Vietnam continues to have one of the world’s most restrictive internet environments, with pervasive filtering of content and the frequent arrests of bloggers and others whose only offense is to advocate online for positions different than those held by the government. Congress finds that a free and open internet and the free flow of news and information— are fundamental components of United States foreign policy because they foster economic growth, protect individual liberties, and advance national security; are critical to the advancement of both United States economic interests and internationally recognized human rights globally; and are severely hindered by Vietnam’s Cybersecurity Law which would allow the Vietnamese Government to access private data, spy on users, require United States businesses to turn over personally identifiable information or block content of users, including outside of Vietnam, and further restrict already limited online speech.
It is the policy of the United States to— pursue an open and free internet in Vietnam; engage all appropriate instruments of United States influence to promote the free flow of news and information in Vietnam, without interference or discrimination through the internet and other electronic media; and assist United States businesses in Vietnam which are required to store data locally and disclose user data or block user content at the request of government authorities in resisting such mandates.
It is the sense of Congress that— the United States should pursue trade policies with Vietnam that expand the information economy in Vietnam by— ensuring the free flow of information and across the global network; promoting stronger international transparency rules; and ensuring fair and equal treatment of online services regardless of country of origin; that Department of State, together with the Department of Commerce, should assist United States internet companies to fulfill their stated missions to promote openness and connectivity by pushing back against the Vietnamese Government’s requests to remove political speech or the content of citizen journalists, especially when content is removed from the accounts of users in the United States; and the Office of Internet Freedom within the United States Agency for Global Media and the Internet Freedom and Business and Human Rights Section within the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the Department of State should prioritize— the distribution of anti-censorship circumvention tools for computers and smart phones in Vietnam; and projects to ensure the safety and privacy of bloggers and journalists in Vietnam.