Venezuelan government uses technology to curb protests

By Diana Baptista and Lucia Ciorakyan Herrera (Avi Asher-Schapiro)

As Venezuelan protesters take to the streets to demand President Nicolas Maduro concede defeat after a disputed election, digital rights activists say the government is using technology to target and intimidate critics.

Authorities asked citizens to report online “threats” from protesters. Raisa Urribarri, a digital rights expert, said the sharing of images of arrests on pro-government social channels also contributed to a “climate of fear.”

“The strategy of the Maduro government … is to instill fear in the population so they don’t go out to protest,” said Antonius Uribari, an independent digital rights consultant and professor emeritus at Venezuela’s University of the Andes.

The government did not initially respond to a request for comment.

The ad sparked widespread allegations of fraud after electoral authorities declared Maduro had won a third term last week with 51 percent of the vote.

The government says the protests are part of a U.S.-backed coup attempt.

Maduro said on Sunday that more than 2,000 people had been arrested for “crimes” committed during the demonstrations and that those found guilty would receive the “harshest punishment.”

Digital rights activists say the Venezuelan government uses technological tools to identify, intimidate and persecute political dissidents, journalists and human rights defenders.

VenApp – the only way for citizens to report problems with services such as water and electricity supply to the government – was updated after the election with a page for reporting “fascist guarimba”.

The term literally means “fascist protest” and is often used by authorities to refer to opposition protests.

The app has been removed from Apple and Google’s online stores. Venezuelan users said other channels were still sharing the information, but the page for reporting protesters no longer loaded.

Regardless, the campaign has effectively contributed to “massive accusations by Venezuelans of online and offline activities denouncing neighboring countries,” said Andrés Azpúrua, director of VE Sin Filtro, a monitoring project that documents internet shutdowns in the country.