VietNamNet Bridge - Internationally renowned scholars have highly appreciated the active and positive role of Vietnam in the Campaign for a Clean and Pure Internet.

Global concerns

When a student of one of the leading universities in the US was arrested in the Boston Marathon bombings three years ago, people were stunned to realize that many youngsters had been brainwashed through websites of extremist groups and had become cold-blooded terrorists.

Those like Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the culprit of the Boston bombing in April 2013, are not a singular phenomenon. The terrorist attacks in Paris last month showed that terrorists were also French citizens recruited and trained by ISIS through black websites.

However, extremist groups taking advantage of the Internet to spread terrorism globally are only the tip of the iceberg. The risks and uncertainties related to cyber-security are much more diverse, as cyber attacks leading to intelligence security gaps, the violation of intellectual property rights, technology and intellectual property, and copyright infringement on the Internet are considered more serious.

So it is easy to understand why Internet security is always on the agenda during visits of heads of state. Network security has become a common issue in the world.

The role of Vietnam

Vietnam is not an exception. In an article on Vietnam Internet Day and the Global Cyber-security Day, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung pointed out the dangers existing in Vietnam:

"The violations of intellectual property rights as well as the stealing of technologies, intellectual assets, and copyrights on the Internet keep rising. The risk of cyber-espionage has become complicated and dangerous. Attacks aimed at seizing website administrations are extremely serious.”

“We are also aware of risks of using the Internet environment to disseminate fabricated, unverified, unreliable, malicious and tactless information in order to slander and smear individuals, organizations, trade names; and to sow ideologies and organize terrorist and sabotage activities.”

According to Lieutenant General Nguyen Van Huong, former Deputy Minister of Public Security, Vietnam has suffered from network terrorism such as DDOS attack, attacks on the control system network administrator. Vietnam has also been subject to espionage network. The risk of information security and "theft" through existing networks is increasingly obvious.

Facing the risks, PM Nguyen Tan Dung said that pending global-level technical solutions and law on Internet security, the Ethics Code of Conduct for Cyber Peace and Security is necessary.

He called on all Vietnamese citizens to respond to the Global Cyber-security Day themed For a Clean and Pure Internet (12/12).

“Internet citizens should join hands in fighting for reasonable, fair and elevated values so as to establish, maintain and develop a civilized Internet environment in Vietnam. Every Vietnamese citizen should work together with people around the world to build a Clean and Pure Internet environment,” the PM called.

He said that Vietnam will continue building and improving the legal system and rules for activities on the Internet, while standing ready to participate in shaping the international law system on Internet security, and to use resources to join international efforts in computer emergency response if necessary.

“Based on its experience, Vietnam will make active contributions to the improvement and enforcement of the Ethics Code of Conduct for Cyber Peace and Security,” he said.

Many international politicians and scholars highly appreciated the commitment made by the Vietnamese PM.

Former US presidential candidate - Michael Dukakis, Chairman of the Boston Global Forum, applauded and appreciated the Vietnamese government’s response to the Global Cybersecurity Day 12/12/2015. He appreciated the efforts of the Vietnamese PM on maintaining peace and security in the region and on the Internet.

Professor Thomas Patterson, Director of the Shorenstein Centre for Media, Politics, and Public Policy, Harvard University, said that Vietnam was increasingly showing the role and responsibility of maintaining peace and security in the world, especially actively contributing to building peace and security on the Internet.

In a special message on Vietnam Information Security Day 1/12/2015, the Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Bac Son also called on "the whole community, social and professional organizations, and the media to join hands, contribute and promote the overall strength of the whole society for ensuring information safety".

Lan Anh