Activists: Facebook a ‘propaganda tool’ for Vietnam govt

The activists’ comments come after Amnesty International warned in a report late last year that Facebook – along with Google – were fast becoming ‘human rights-free zones’ in Vietnam. — AFP

HANOI: Facebook in Vietnam has turned into a propaganda tool of the country’s authoritarian government, activists told AFP on Oct 26, after a report said CEO Mark Zuckerberg had personally signed off on a push from Hanoi to limit “anti-state” posts.

The social networking giant has in recent years been a popular forum for activists in the communist nation, where all independent media is banned, but officials have begun to come under fire for targeting critics on the platform.