US criticises Vietnam's new limits of political dissent on Internet

American officials criticized the Vietnamese government Tuesday for its new limitations on political dissent on the Internet. The decree, which was announced last Wednesday and will go into effect Sept. 1, prohibits the posting of information that opposes the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. The rules could also force sites like Google and Facebook to comply with Vietnam's censorship laws, which will ban them from providing negative information about the country, The New York Times said. The U.S. Embassy in Hanoi Tuesday issued a statement condemning the new rules, called Decree 72. The statement says the rules are inconsistent with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. "We are deeply concerned by the decree's provisions that appear to limit the types of information individuals can share via personal social media accounts and on websites. In addition, this decree will limit the development of Vietnam's budding IT sector by hampering domestic innovation and deterring foreign investment," the statement reads. Reporters Without Borders has also criticized Decree 72 and called it a violation of the right to be informed, the Times said.