User:Mariabrewer/sandbox

Maria Brewer: My edits are the bold sections between grey lines!

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Internet censorship
In the Freedom on the Net 2014 report by Freedom House, Venezuela's internet was ranked as "partly free", with the report stating that social media, apps, political and social content had been blocked, while also noting that bloggers and Internet users had been arrested. The Venezuelan government has partially blocked internet access to citizens by using a '''system that allows them to restrict selected content that may threaten their power over the country. “In the 21st century, autocrats have devised specific techniques to put the internet under political control without shutting it down completely.” By partially blocking the internet, the government has been able to perform a concealed censorship that often affects the opposition. The population knows that the government interferes with the internet and the communications, but they lack the means to access the evidence that would support their claims.'''

In 2014, Reporters Without Borders originally stated that Venezuela did not fit the categories of either "surveillance", "censorship", "imprisonment" or "disinformation" but later warned of "rising censorship in Venezuela's Internet service, including several websites and social networks facing shutdowns". They condemned actions performed by the National Commission of Telecommunications (Conatel) after Conatel restricted access to websites with the unofficial market rate and "demanded social networks, particularly Twitter, to filter images related to protests taking place in Venezuela against the government". The Venezuelan government published a statement replying to censorship allegations on Twitter and with images on Twitter, implying that it was a technical problem.

2014 protests
During the 2014 Venezuelan protests, it was reported that Internet access was unavailable in San Cristóbal, Táchira for up to about half a million citizens. Multiple sources claimed that the Venezuelan government blocked Internet access. Internet access was reported to be available again one day and a half later.

Social media
'''Social media has played a pivotal role in the fight for democracy and human rights in Venezuela. “As Nicolás Maduro’s authoritarian government has overseen Venezuela’s collapse into unprecedented economic and humanitarian crisis since 2014, it has tried to restrict citizens’ access to information.” Most of the television channels and the radio stations that cover the country’s situation are state-run, this gives the government control over the majority of the information that circulates. Social media has allowed politicians, activists, journalists and civilians, to record and publish incidents of injustices perpetrated by the Venezuelan authorities on countless occasions, especially during the opposition’s protests or demonstrations where the National Bolivarian Guard (GNB) and the National Bolivarian Police (PNB) often attack civilians without accountability. These type of incidents are very unlikely to appear on television, broadcasted on radio or printed in newspapers because of the restrictions and control that the government has on national traditional media, whereas it is harder to control what gets published on social media because the government does not have control over social media platforms. “When printing paper stopped being available, some newspapers turned to social media communication to share the news. According to Venezuelan journalist Jorge Lander, social media channels are “basically the only windows Venezuelans have to know what’s going on in the country.” ''' Social media has been censored by the Bolivarian government on multiple occasions. The Bolivarian government stated that it must "conquer the fourth generation war" against the them, with the government monitoring the Facebook, Instagram and Twitter profiles of their workers. In one case, the Ministry of Urban Agriculture forced public employees in August 2017 to email their social media usernames to managers and supervisors. In January 2019, anonymous officials of CICPC stated that they were required to support the Bolivarian government and that officials who support the opposition on social media would have their employment terminated.

Twitter[ edit] Twitter has been targeted and criticized by the Venezuelan government under both Chavez’s and Maduro’s administrations because it is a major tool used to circulate information that would otherwise be censored ''', and because it has been a known tool used by opposition leaders to communicate and organize their activism. “Governments view Twitter as both a threat and an opportunity. Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez equated using twitter to terrorism before he joined the website himself and became the most followed user in Venezuela.” '''

'''Like any other social media platform, twitter has its significant limitations, like the spread of false information. However, Venezuelans must take their chances, otherwise they might not receive any accurate information at all.'''

Also during the 2014 Venezuelan protests, images on Twitter were reported to be unavailable for at least some users in Venezuela for 3 days (12–15 February), with claims that the Venezuelan government blocked them, indicating that it appeared to be an attempt to limit images of protests against shortages and the world's highest inflation rate. Twitter spokesman Nu Wexler stated that, "I can confirm that Twitter images are now blocked in Venezuela" adding that "[w]e believe it's the government that is blocking". However, the Venezuelan government published a statement saying that they did not block Twitter or images on Twitter, and implied that it was a technical problem.