Venezuela and Russia appear to be ramping up their digital censorship efforts.
In Venezuela, following disputed presidential election results last month, the encrypted messaging app Signal has become inaccessible on multiple internet providers. This blockage coincides with ongoing protests and arrests as President Nicolás Maduro maintains his grip on power despite the US recognizing opposition candidate Edmundo González as the election’s winner.
Internet monitoring service NetBlocks confirmed the Signal outage on Thursday evening. Additionally, Maduro has ordered a block on the social media platform X.
Read: Maduro Blocks Access to X in Venezuela for 10 Days
Russia, on the other hand, has implemented restrictions on Signal, with the country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, citing violations of Russian legislation. Users in Russia are unable to register new Signal accounts without using a VPN, and the app’s backends have been restricted on most internet providers as of Friday afternoon.
In response to these blocks, Signal has acknowledged the reports and recommended users activate its censorship circumvention feature, which NetBlocks reports allows the app to remain functional in Russia.
Did Russia also block YouTube?
The censorship efforts in Russia have extended beyond Signal, with mass outages reported for YouTube. Thousands of users have reported glitches, with many only able to access the platform through VPNs.
Reuters correspondents in Russia confirmed difficulty accessing YouTube, though some mobile devices still retained access. YouTube spokesperson Ciaran Ward told The Verge that the company is aware of the access issues in Russia. He clarified that the disruptions are “not as a result of any technical issues on our side or action taken by us.”
YouTube’s continued availability in Russia has been crucial for free expression, as it hosts content from Kremlin opponents that has been removed from other social media platforms. A video by the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny, alleging President Vladimir Putin’s ownership of a lavish palace — which the intensely secretive autocrat has denied — has garnered over 132 million views on the platform.
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