Top search engine Google has accused the Vietnam government of blocking access to certain websites and tracking user activity. Regualtions passed in April of this year specify that internet locations install special software on their computers by 2011. At the moment, this has been restricted to Hanoi and will choke the life out of internet cafe’s – a thriving business and social meeting place in Vietnam.
But why? Speculation abounds that it is a wholly political issue. A report about the restrictions placed on internet searches was posted by Viet Tan – a pro-democracy group. Being a strictly communist government, they see Viet Tan as a terror group looking to promote democracy but according to the US, there is no proof of this.
Google themselves report that in March tens of thousands of computers were infected with a spy virus that and attacked specific websites deemed to be distributing propoganda against a government mining project. Facebook was also shut down along with other social networking sites last year.
To us in the Western world it seems a huge affront against ‘human rights’ and freedom of speech. We are used to being able to use internet searches for absolutely anything we want and to have access to any information that is already on the web. It is this ability that makes SEO such a huge industry. With millions of websites, we want to find the one that provides us with what we want in the easiest and simplest method. A site that is SEO’d up will be delivered high up in search engine rankings and the whole process is very simple and straight-forward.
Would there be any point in applying SEO to a site if you cannot be sure it won’t simply be blocked by Government oppression? I think not.
Related posts: