Vietnam cracks down on Internet cafes
HANOI - Vietnam has cracked down on Internet cafes in its ongoing efforts to control illegal content ranging from explicit sex to anti-government documents.
The crackdown on ordinary citizens' main window to the rest of the world is counter to other changes Vietnam is making in hopes of winning entry into the World Trade Organization, the Asia Times reported.
The United States and European Union have supported Vietnam's entry into the WTO.
The latest rules, backed by four Vietnamese agencies and imposed last month, require Internet cafe owners to register the name, age, address and identification number of people who go online.
"These regulations answer public concern about the bad environment shown by the majority of Internet cafes," said Do Quy Doan, deputy minister of the Telecommunications, Culture and Information ministry. "Many people have come and told us to do something right away if we don't want to have to deal with more evil dens later on."
A student said Vietnam's Internet control efforts seem more political than moral.
United Press International - August 17, 2005.
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