Media News - Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Vietnam seeks Google, Yahoo! help to control bloggers: reports

Communist Vietnam wants Internet giants Google and Yahoo! to help 'regulate' the country's flourishing blogging scene, state media said Tuesday, and stop 'incorrect information' being published online. The government will announce new rules this month, stressing that weblogs should serve as personal online diaries, not as organs to disseminate opinions about politics, religion and society, senior officials were quoted as saying. The regulations aim 'to create a legal base for bloggers and related agencies to tackle violations in the area of blogging,' said Information and Communication Deputy Minister Do Quy Doan, according to the Thanh Nien daily. The ministry 'will contact Google and Yahoo! for cooperation in creating the best and the healthiest environment for bloggers,' he added. The proposals follow the jailing in September of the high-profile blogger Dieu Cay - real name Nguyen Hoang Hai - for two and a half years on tax fraud charges. Vietnam's blogosphere has exploded in recent years, with school children to newspaper editors freely sharing their thoughts in a way that has not been possible in the state-controlled media. Most users have chatted about lifestyle and personal issues, but some online writers have strayed into sensitive political areas and incurred the wrath of the authorities, with several bloggers, including Cay, ending up in prison. (AFP)

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