X Prohibited from Operating in Venezuela

As a result of the Elon Musk vs Maduro feud, X is prohibited from operating in Venezuela

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a temporary ban on platform X in his country. Photo/RT

HOLIDAY NEWS - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced a temporary ban on platform X in the country. This decision came after his feud with the platform's CEO, Elon Musk who accused Maduro of election fraud.

In a speech broadcast on television on Thursday (8/8/2024) Maduro accused the technology tycoon of several accusations. Musk's actions are said to incite hatred, fascism, trigger civil war and death, and lead to confrontation between Venezuelans. "Musk violated national law," said Maduro as reported by the Russian Times, Saturday (10/8/2024).

The leader claimed to have signed a resolution submitted by the National Telecommunications Commission to ban the social media platform for ten days.

“Let the plans on social media to spread violence, hatred in Venezuela from abroad end,” Maduro wrote in a separate post on X. Musk also mocked Maduro on the platform and promised to burn his mustache from space. The feud between the Venezuelan leader and the billionaire began after the country's presidential election last month after Maduro was declared the winner. According to the country's election board, Maduro won about 52% of the vote, while opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez got 43%.

The opposition rejected the results, saying they did not match the party's internal calculations. Opposition party supporters, including the US, refused to recognize Maduro's victory. However, other countries such as China and Russia have congratulated the Venezuelan leader on his re-election.

Musk backed up criticism of Maduro by calling him a dictator and accusing him of massive election fraud. “Venezuelans have had enough of these clowns,” Musk said, expressing support for the opposition.

The remarks drew a strong response from Venezuela's president, slamming the tycoon for allegedly attempting a coup and challenging him to a fight – a challenge Musk accepted.

This temporary ban on X was imposed after Maduro claimed to have deleted the WhatsApp application from his cellphone, claiming that the application was being used to threaten Venezuela and spy on its people. He also claimed that TikTok and Instagram were being used to promote hate and promised to regulate their use.

Maduro will serve a third consecutive six-year term, having first taken office in 2013 following the death of President Hugo Chavez. Maduro's previous re-election, in 2018, was also rejected by the US, along with the European Union and several other Latin American countries.

Venezuela and Russia reportedly blocked the Signal app

Signal Logo Illustration. ANTARA/Signal Private Messenger

HOLIDAY NEWS - Venezuela and Russia reportedly blocked Signal, an app that has become a popular choice for encrypted messaging and for people trying to evade government censorship.

Quoted from The Verge, Saturday (10/8) local time, this blocking appears to be part of a crackdown on dissent in the two countries. In Venezuela, the blockage comes after the disputed results of last month's presidential election, which have led to protests and arrests as President Nicolás Maduro tries to cling to power, according to MSNBC.

Internet monitoring service NetBlocks said late Thursday that Signal had become “inaccessible on some internet providers” in the country. Maduro also ordered the blocking of X, The Associated Press reported.

In Russia, the country's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, said that Signal violated Russian law, Interfax reported. People in Russia also can't sign up for a new Signal account without using a VPN, Reuters reports.

Russia has restricted the backend of the Signal messaging app on most internet providers as of Friday (9/8) afternoon, NetBlocks said. “We are aware of reports that access to Signal has been blocked in some countries,” Signal said. If users are impacted by this block, the company recommends enabling their censorship circumvention feature. NetBlocks reports that this feature allows Signal to remain usable in Russia. Signal did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

X Dilarang Beroperasi di Venezuela

Imbas Permusuhan Elon Musk vs Maduro, X Dilarang Beroperasi di Venezuela

HOLIDAY NEWS - Presiden Venezuela Nicolas Maduro mengumumkan larangan sementara terhadap platform X di negara tersebut. Keputusan ini diambil setelah perseteruannya dengan CEO platform tersebut, Elon Musk yang menuduh Maduro melakukan kecurangan pemilu.

Dalam pidato yang disiarkan di televisi pada Kamis (8/8/2024) Maduro menuduh taipan teknologi tersebut dengan beberapa tuduhan. Tindakan Musk disebut menghasut kebencian, fasisme, memicu perang saudara serta kematian, dan melakukan konfrontasi antarwarga Venezuela.

"Musk melanggar hukum nasional," kata Maduro dilansir Russia Times, Sabtu (10/8/2024).

Sang pemimpin mengaku telah menandatangani resolusi yang disampaikan oleh Komisi Telekomunikasi Nasional untuk melarang platform media sosial tersebut selama sepuluh hari.

“Biarkan rencana di media sosial untuk menyebarkan kekerasan, kebencian di Venezuela dari luar negeri berakhir,” tulis Maduro dalam sebuah unggahan terpisah di X.

Musk pun mengolok-olok Maduro di platform tersebut dan berjanji akan membakar kumisnya dari luar angkasa. Perseteruan antara pemimpin Venezuela dan miliarder tersebut dimulai setelah pemilihan presiden di negara itu bulan lalu seusai Maduro dinyatakan sebagai pemenang. Menurut dewan pemilu negara itu, Maduro memenangkan sekitar 52% suara, sementara kandidat oposisi Edmundo Gonzalez memperoleh 43%.

Pihak oposisi menolak hasil tersebut, dengan alasan tidak sesuai dengan penghitungan internal partai. Para pendukung partai oposisi, termasuk AS, menolak untuk mengakui kemenangan Maduro. Namun, negara-negara lain seperti China dan Rusia telah mengucapkan selamat kepada pemimpin Venezuela tersebut atas terpilihnya kembali.

Musk mendukung kritik terhadap Maduro dengan menyebutnya sebagai diktator dan menuduhnya melakukan kecurangan pemilu besar-besaran. “Rakyat Venezuela sudah cukup muak dengan badut ini,” ujar Musk menyatakan dukungan untuk oposisi.

Ucapan itu mendapat tanggapan keras dari presiden Venezuela dengan mengecam taipan tersebut karena diduga mencoba melakukan kudeta dan menantangnya untuk berkelahi – sebuah tantangan yang diterima Musk.

Larangan sementara terhadap X ini diberlakukan setelah Maduro mengklaim telah menghapus aplikasi WhatsApp dari ponselnya, dengan alasan bahwa aplikasi tersebut digunakan untuk mengancam Venezuela dan memata-matai rakyatnya. Dia juga mengklaim bahwa TikTok dan Instagram digunakan untuk mempromosikan kebencian dan berjanji akan mengatur penggunaannya.

Maduro akan menjalani masa jabatan ketiga berturut-turut selama enam tahun, setelah pertama kali menjabat pada tahun 2013 setelah kematian Presiden Hugo Chavez. Pemilihan ulang Maduro sebelumnya, pada tahun 2018, juga ditolak oleh AS, bersama dengan Uni Eropa dan beberapa negara Amerika Latin lainnya.

Venezuela dan Rusia dilaporkan memblokir aplikasi Signal

Ilustrasi Logo Signal. ANTARA/Signal Private Messager

HOLIDAY NEWS - Venezuela dan Rusia dilaporkan memblokir Signal, sebuah aplikasi yang menjadi pilihan populer untuk pesan terenkripsi dan bagi orang-orang yang berusaha menghindari sensor pemerintah.

Dikutip dari The Verge, Sabtu (10/8) waktu setempat, pemblokiran ini tampaknya merupakan bagian dari tindakan keras terhadap perbedaan pendapat di kedua negara tersebut.

Di Venezuela, pemblokiran ini terjadi setelah hasil pemilihan presiden pada bulan lalu yang diperdebatkan, yang telah menyebabkan protes dan penangkapan karena Presiden Nicolás Maduro berusaha mempertahankan kekuasaannya, menurut MSNBC.

Layanan pemantauan internet, NetBlocks, mengatakan pada Kamis (8/8) malam bahwa Signal telah menjadi "tidak dapat diakses di beberapa penyedia internet" di negara tersebut. Maduro juga memerintahkan pemblokiran X, lapor The Associated Press.

Di Rusia, regulator komunikasi negara tersebut, Roskomnadzor, mengatakan bahwa Signal melanggar undang-undang Rusia, lapor Interfax. Orang-orang di Rusia juga tidak dapat mendaftar akun Signal baru tanpa menggunakan VPN, lapor Reuters.

Rusia telah membatasi backend aplikasi perpesanan Signal di sebagian besar penyedia internet pada Jumat (9/8) sore, kata NetBlocks.

“Kami menyadari laporan bahwa akses ke Signal telah diblokir di beberapa negara,” kata Signal. Jika pengguna terkena dampak dari pemblokiran ini, perusahaan merekomendasikan untuk mengaktifkan fitur circumvention censorship mereka.

NetBlocks melaporkan bahwa fitur ini memungkinkan Signal tetap dapat digunakan di Rusia. Signal tidak segera menanggapi permintaan untuk komentar.