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The idea of free speech and free press is perhaps one of the most dangerous threats to governments seeking to control the population. This is precisely what made the founders of the United States so revolutionary – the ability to share information allows the people to control the government, not the other way around.

Vietnam's Communist government appears to be feeling that fear as its citizens take to the blogosphere. Officials there have said they intend to regulate blogs in their country, "to prevent the spread of subversive and sexually explicit content."

Though what's sexually explicit is sometimes up to interpretation, you may reach a general consensus as to what that entails. But what counts as "subversive" material may not be as clear-cut. 

And it's especially chilling, if you've grown up in a free society, to hear statements like this coming from a government official: "We should provide guidelines that help people know what type of information they can upload online."

Yikes. At least it appears (on the surface) that a fine serves as the penalty for blogging inappropriately, and not death or imprisonment.

But still.