After holding elections with very disputed results, Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro has decided to target social media platforms, particularly X, managed by billionaire Elon Musk. The pair are currently feuding online.
Now, the Venezuelan government has announced a 10-day ban on X:
“They have violated all the laws of Venezuela, and we are going to make them respect the law. That’s why I have approved a proposal from Conatel (National Commission of Telecommunications) to suspend the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, for ten days until they comply with our regulations,” Maduro stated in a press release.
According to the Venezuelan government, Musk’s platform must take “definitive measures” to stop “sowing violence and hatred and attacking Venezuela from abroad.”
The closure of social media platforms is always bad news for freedom of speech. Venezuela’s attacks aren’t only aimed against X. The government’s attempt to control social discourse goes beyond X, as several operators in the country have also blocked the Signal app.
Recently, Maduro himself has also singled out WhatsApp for being “a means to destabilize the country.”
The Venezuelan government’s opposition considers these moves a “cyber coup d’état.” Unfortunately, blocking social media platforms is a common measure in most countries when it comes to quashing citizen protests.
This article was written by Enrique Pérez and originally published in Spanish on Xataka.
Image | Eneas de Troya
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