Vietnam activists flock to 'safe' social media after cyber crackdown

Tens of thousands of Vietnamese social media users are flocking to self-professed free speech platform Minds to avoid tough internet controls in a new cybersecurity law, activists and the company told AFP.

The draconian law requires internet companies to scrub critical content and hand over user data if Vietnam's Communist government demands it.

The bill, which comes into effect January 1, sparked outcry from activists who say it is a chokehold on free speech in a country where there is no independent press and where Facebook is a crucial lifeline for bloggers.

The world's leading social media site has 53 million users in Vietnam, a country of 93 million.

Many activists are now turning to Minds, a US-based open-source platform, fearing Facebook could be complying with the new rules.

"We want to keep our independent voice and we also want to make a point to Facebook that we're not going to accept any censorship," Tran Vi, editor of the activist site The Vietnamese which is blocked in Vietnam, told AFP from Taiwan.

Some activists say they migrated to Minds after content removal and abuse from pro-government netizens on Facebook.

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