Vietnamese activist group tries to bring Facebook back

By Jessica McKenzie, Tech President

You know all that witty (and not-so-witty) banter about the government shutdown taking place on your Facebook newsfeed right now? In Vietnam that would be illegal.

Screenshot from the Facebook Back video parody

Since the draconian Decree 72 went into effect on September 1, citizens are banned from discussing news and current events—or really anything that does not pertain to themselves personally—on blogs or social media sites. Activists and bloggers, however, cannot capitulate to the government’s restrictions, not when bloggers and citizens journalists have become the “de facto media.” That’s why the pro-democracy group Viet Tan offers virtual training in cybersecurity for bloggers and activists.

“With all media outlets controlled by the state in Vietnam, bloggers are the de facto media,” Viet Tan spokesperson Hoang Tu Duy told Time . “The regime wants to squelch freedom of expression and has a litany of repressive techniques, but they will fail because of the sheer will of Vietnamese to have a voice and utilize modern technology.”

When a country bans the publication of material, even if it’s as small as a Facebook comment that “opposes” the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, it is no wonder Duy says that circumventing Internet censorship “is the civil disobedience of the 21st century.”

Viet Tan  teaches activists and bloggers how to encrypt messages and files, how to wipe their computers of data, and how to hide their IP address, among other useful skills. Many of their lessons are taught over Skype, although occasionally they will host a class in person. In January, 14 activists were imprisoned after going to a Viet Tan class in Bangkok. Authorities claimed they were trying to “overthrow the government.” (Did I mention the Vietnamese government considers Viet Tan a terrorist organization , even though the Unites States has found no evidence of that?)

They have also created videos aimed at a more general audience, like the “Facebook Back Music Video,” a parody of Justin Timberlake’s “SexyBack.”

Read the full article by Jessica McKenzie from Tech President and watch the video.