Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, at the opening ceremony of the headquarters of the organization “Great Mission of Youth of Venezuela”, a recording of which was published on the president’s YouTube channel, accused the WhatsApp messenger of transferring data about the country’s citizens to opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado and Edmundo Gonzalez.
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Maduro said on August 6 that he would stop using WhatsApp, which is used to spread threats to his supporters, and switch to Telegram and WeChat.
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Earlier, the president, at a meeting with military personnel, accused the social networks TikTok, Instagram and WhatsApp of spreading hatred in Venezuela, calling what was happening in the country a cyber-fascist coup.
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“WhatsApp handed over to Venezuelan terrorists… Machado (one of the opposition leaders Maria Corina Machado), fugitive from justice, war criminal Edmundo Gonzalez and his commanders the entire Venezuelan database: who you are, your family, your friends, what are you talking about, what you don’t say, what videos you share, what your tastes are, and so on,” Maduro said.
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The head of Venezuela added that WhatsApp is in the hands of technological imperialism and called the messenger “the enemy of humanity.”
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The presidential elections in Venezuela took place on July 28, with the National Electoral Council declaring Maduro the winner. The next day, protests erupted in the country against the results of these elections; in Caracas and other cities, clashes began between security forces and demonstrators, who began throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at law enforcement officers. More than 250 police strongholds were destroyed, multiple acts of vandalism and looting were recorded, and two servicemen were killed. In the week after the elections, law enforcement officers detained more than 2 thousand people; they are accused of destroying state infrastructure, inciting hatred and terrorism.
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Violent unrest in Venezuela continued for one day after the elections, after which government control of the situation on the streets was restored. In the following days, both the president’s supporters and the opposition held numerous rallies declaring their victory, but they were peaceful and there were no clashes.
