Nicolás Maduro blocks X for 10 days in Venezuela amid spat with Elon Musk
GuardianAUG 14 2024
Following a proposal by Venezuela's telecommunications commission, Pres. Nicolás Maduro has ordered a nationwide 10-day block on access to X. As of Thursday night, posts reportedly had stopped loading on the social network.
This comes as Maduro claims that X owner Elon Musk has violated the rules of his own platform and the laws of Venezuela, as they have traded barbs online since Maduro was confirmed as the winner of a contested presidential election last month.
The declaration of victory for Maduro also prompted anti-government protests, which Musk allegedly promoted on X, leading to thousands of arrests and about 24 deaths.The declaration of victory for Maduro also prompted anti-government protests, which Musk allegedly incited on X, leading to thousands of arrests and about 24 deaths. The platform formerly known as Twitter has faced suspensions in several countries, and Brazil opened a probe into its owner this year.
aElon Musk doesn't care about Venezuelans, let alone democracy. Given the nature of his businesses, it's easy to understand why he has decided to discuss Venezuelan politics almost daily on his social media platform: Musk wants to increase his influence with America's rising far-right and reinforce his views that the left is dangerous.
bMaduro is a dictator