Netizens in Vietnam face an increasing degree of surveillance, harassment and imprisonment. During an event hosted by Radio Free Asia for World Press Freedom Day, visiting Vietnamese bloggers listed a litany of actions the government had taken against them and other citizens.
In order to better understand these tactics and the environment faced by those fighting for freedom online in Vietnam, SecondMuse and Viet Tan undertook a research project with these bloggers to document their experiences on the steps they take to increase their digital security and the types of obstacles they face in their everyday lives.
The final report was just released and includes a variety of insightful findings resulting from these research efforts. Indeed, all of the visiting bloggers have been subject to arrest, harassment, and other methods of persecution as a result of their online activities. We encourage you to take a look at the report and better understand the online environment that exists in Vietnam.
OTF looks forward to continuing to support research to better understand the needs of end-users and leverage that information to inform the development and localization of digital free speech tools.