- The organization is the fourth platform to suffer blockages on the country’s main networks | Photo: Ve Sin Filtro
The Venezuelan Institute for Press and Society (IPYS) has denounced the blocking of its website. The organization became the fourth platform blocked by the country’s main Internet providers so far in July.
In a post on social media site X on July 12, the organization said the blockade began on the evening of July 11.
He explained that the Ve Sin Filtro platform verified that the block is active on CANTV (DNS + HTTPS), Movistar (HTTP + HTTPS), and Digitel, Inter, NetUno and Airtek (DNS).
“We reject this restriction that limits our work in defense of press freedom and access to information. Four information or verification portals have been blocked since the beginning of the electoral campaign on Thursday (July 4),” said Ipys.
The blockade of the Venezuelan Observatory of Fake News
On July 12th, The Venezuelan Observatory of Fake News reported the blocking of its page web by the country’s major Internet providers.
“The entire team at the Venezuelan Fake News Observatory regrets that a censorship measure of this type affects the population of Venezuela and its right to verified, diverse and plural information, especially just a few days before the presidential elections,” the observatory reported on its X account.
On July 4, VE Sin Filtro warned that the portals Es Paja and Cazadores de Fake News were blocked on most operators.
These actions coincide with the start of the campaign for the presidential elections on July 28.
These portals had been detecting for several months the emergence of a propaganda campaign based on the use of bots and promoted content to spread disinformation messages. In some cases from fake accounts or accounts created especially for that purpose, as well as on established news portals linked to the government.
Climate of censorship during the electoral campaign
The international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) warned on July 4 regarding a “climate of censorship” at the start of the electoral campaign In Venezuela.
“In Venezuela, the presidential election campaign is taking place in a climate of censorship. Over the past decade, the regime of Nicolás Maduro has worked to shore up state hegemony in the media landscape, while reducing the space for independent journalism,” RSF said.
According to the organization, the electoral campaign for the July 28 elections began with “little plurality” in the media, little accreditation of independent Venezuelan media and limited international coverage.
He also criticised the closure of hundreds of radio stations and television channels since 2016, as well as newspapers due to a shortage of paper, and the blocking of digital media.
Media closure in Venezuela in 2024
Between January and April 2024, at least 10 media outlets, including radio stations and television channels, ceased operations in Venezuela, according to a registry carried out by the El Diario team based on complaints made by the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP); the (IPYS); and the NGO Espacio Público, through their social networks and websites.
According to these reports, more than 10 media outlets have halted their broadcasts in the country by order of the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel).
How to evade censorship
In recent years, there have been difficulties in accessing some news portals in the country due to Domain Name System (DNS) blocks, which prevent these pages from being opened from Venezuela.
In this situation, different organizations recommend using a Virtual Private Network (VPN), services that serve to camouflage the IP address of the device and thus simulate that it is located in another country.
There are several VPNs on the market that provide this function, in some cases as free or paid programs or applications.
To address this, the launch of Noticias Sin Filtro (Unfiltered News) was announced on June 25, a mobile app that allows users to read free content from an alliance of independent media outlets that are blocked in the country.
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2024-07-13 22:01:39
