Venezuela and Russia are intensifying their digital censorship measures, reflecting a growing trend of governmental control over online communication platforms.
Venezuela's Digital Clampdown
In Venezuela, the aftermath of a contentious presidential election has led to significant restrictions on digital communication. Following the announcement of disputed election results last month, the encrypted messaging application Signal has become inaccessible across various internet service providers. This disruption aligns with ongoing protests and a series of arrests as President Nicolás Maduro continues to assert his authority, despite the United States recognizing opposition candidate Edmundo González as the legitimate winner.
NetBlocks, an internet monitoring service, confirmed the Signal outage on Thursday evening. In addition to this, Maduro has mandated a block on the social media platform X, further tightening the grip on digital discourse within the country.
Read: Maduro Blocks Access to X in Venezuela for 10 Days
Russia's Parallel Path
Meanwhile, in Russia, the situation mirrors that of Venezuela. The country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has imposed restrictions on Signal, citing violations of Russian legislation. As of Friday afternoon, users in Russia are unable to register new Signal accounts without utilizing a VPN, and the app’s backends have been largely restricted across most internet providers.
Russia’s federal censor now confirms that it is blocking @signalapp for “violations of Russian legislation, the compliance with which is necessary to prevent the use of the messenger for terrorist and extremist purposes.”
In light of these developments, Signal has acknowledged the reports of censorship and has advised users to activate its built-in censorship circumvention feature. This tool, as noted by NetBlocks, may allow the app to function effectively even in restrictive environments like Russia.
We’re aware of reports that access to Signal has been blocked in some countries. As a reminder, Signal’s built-in censorship circumvention feature might be able to help if your connection is affected: Signal Settings > Privacy > Advanced > Censorship circumvention (on)— Signal (@signalapp) August 9, 2024
YouTube Under Siege
The censorship campaign in Russia has not been limited to Signal; it has also extended to YouTube. Reports indicate widespread outages, with thousands of users experiencing glitches and many resorting to VPNs to access the platform.
Reuters correspondents in Russia have confirmed the challenges users face in accessing YouTube, although some mobile devices appear to maintain connectivity. A spokesperson for YouTube, Ciaran Ward, stated that the company is aware of the access issues but clarified that these disruptions are “not as a result of any technical issues on our side or action taken by us.”
YouTube has played a pivotal role in fostering free expression within Russia, hosting content from Kremlin critics that has been removed from other social media platforms. Notably, a video by the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny, which alleges President Vladimir Putin’s ownership of a luxurious palace—an assertion the secretive leader has denied—has amassed over 132 million views on the platform.
Information for this story was found via the sources and companies mentioned. The author has no securities or affiliations related to this article.