Original replimniary report in spanish

The presidential elections of past Sunday, July 28, took place in a context of severe restrictions to human rights in the digital context. During the electoral campaign, VEsinFiltro documented 12 new cases of blocking against media outlets, human rights organizations and a VPN, particularly against those promoting the right to free speech and access to information, not including the blockings that took place after the elections. The elections were held in a restricted media ecosystem, reducing guarantees for free and informed participation. To date, 62 media outlets are blocked by the main and largest Internet service providers, with these blocks affecting 86 domains, totalling 431 active blocking events. In addition, the websites of 9 human rights organisations and projects are also blocked, with a total of 41 active blocking events.

Two websites, “Cazadores de Fake News” and “Es Paja,” dedicated to information verification and fact-checking, were blocked on Thursday, July 4, the day the electoral campaign for the presidential elections of July 28 began. Less than a week later, the website of the Venezuelan Observatory of Fake News was blocked. During the campaign, the websites of two organizations that defend freedom of expression and freedom of the press were also blocked: the Press and Society Institute of Venezuela (IPYS) on July 12 and Espacio Público on July 17. Less than a week before the election, two more civil society portals and four media outlets were blocked. The website of the NGO Medianálisis and vesinfiltro.com, the original domain of this program measuring censorship and digital threats against human rights, were the sites related to human rights which were blocked. They also blocked Analítica, El Estímulo, Tal Cual and Runrunes, which was previously blocked on a single internet service provider (ISP).

Cases of internet blocks initiated during the campaign that are still active

DOMINIO CATEGORÍA Mecanismo de Bloqueo por ISP EVENTOS
CANTV Movistar Digitel Inter Netuno Supercable
vesinfiltro.comHUMRDNSHHT/HTTPSSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo5
www.medianalisis.orgHUMRDNSHHTP/HTTPSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo5
espaciopublico.ongHUMRDNSNoNoNoNoNo1
ipysvenezuela.orgHUMRDNS + HTTPSHTTP/HTTPSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
runrun.esNEWSDNSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo5
www.analitica.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
elestimulo.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
www.talcualdigital.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
fakenewsvenezuela.orgNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
cazadoresdefakenews.infoNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSNo6
www.espaja.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSDNSNo7

The day before the election, the websites wikipedia⸱org and es.wikipedia⸱org were also blocked in an attempt to prevent the uploading of updates. The restrictions were applied to Digitel and NetUno, until July 29.

These restrictions have continued after the elections. Amid great uncertainty, citizen protests and national and international rejection of the results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE), the main Internet providers have blocked, using multiple techniques, at least three internet domians in which the opposition campaign, Comando ConVzla, announced that it would publish the tally sheets provided by its witnesses with the results disaggregated by voting table: resultadospresidencialesvenezuela2024⸱com and later, ganovzla⸱com, where anyone could lookup the scanned tally sheet certificates; and the results calculated from those tallies on resultadosconvzla⸱com.

At the same time, elecciones2024venezuela⸱com, a website that provides information about the presidential elections, was blocked. The blocking of this website coincided with the rumour that this was the page where the tally sheets of the voting tables could be consulted.

No access to the CNE page

VE sin Filtro also confirmed restrictions on access to the Electoral Authority’s website, which contains official data on the presidential election, www⸱cne⸱gob⸱ve. At the time of writing this report, the website cannot be opened from inside or outside Venezuela.

These restrictions have been imposed by the CNE itself and not by the Internet providers, failing in their responsibility to make the election results and other information of public interest available. In Venezuela it is not possible to access the website even from CANTV, the main, State-owned internet provider.

The situation started with the website not loading from abroad or from national providers such as: Digitel, NetUno, Airtek, Fibex and IPnet, then the same restrictions began to be found in CANTV as well; when the CNE had made the three IP addresses (190.9.10.130.15, 200.11.144.25, 200.44.45.5) of www.cne⸱gob⸱ve accessible only to certain networks.

At the time of writting, there was no DNS resolution of www.cne⸱gob⸱ve and the servers or their loadblancers do not respond with the website.

These findings were verified using RIPE Atlas and other standardized measurements.

The exercise of digital rights contributes to maintaining the integrity of electoral processes and allows citizens to access essential public information in a transparent manner. It also protects freedom of expression online, which is crucial for debating ideas, questioning actions and actively participating in decision-making. At VEsinFiltro we reiterate that Internet blockages violate human rights and, in the case of Venezuela, access to information is crucial due to the complex political and social dynamics it experiences, coupled with censorship in traditional media.

UPDATE

ON 2024-08-1, hours after opposition leader María Corina Machado published an op-ed titled “I Can Prove Maduro Got Trounced” on the WSJ, www⸱wsj⸱com got blocked by most major ISPs

List of blocked media sites

DOMINIO CATEGORÍA Mecanismo de Bloqueo por ISP EVENTOS
CANTV Movistar Digitel Inter Netuno Supercable
elecciones2024venezuela.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
runrun.esNEWSDNSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo5
www.analitica.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
elestimulo.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
www.talcualdigital.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
fakenewsvenezuela.orgNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSHTTP/HTTPSDNSNo6
cazadoresdefakenews.infoNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSNo6
www.espaja.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSDNSNo7
www.lagranaldea.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSDNSNo7
semana.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSNo5
Impactovenezuela.comNEWSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSNo6
elpolitico.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSNo6
ww1.6topoder.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSNoNoNo3
ww38.dollarparalelovenezuela.comNEWSNoDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS5
www.el-carabobeno.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSHTTPSDNSNo5
focoinformativo.comNEWSNoNoNoDNS + HTTP/HTTPSNoNo2
eldiario.comNEWSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSNoNoNoNoNo2
noticiaypunto.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSDNSDNS7
www.adncaraota.comNEWSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSNoNoNoNoNo2
sumarium.esNEWSDNS + HTTPSNoNoNoNoNo2
www.el-nacional.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
www.elnacional.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
primerinforme.comNEWSDNSNoDNSDNSDNSDNS5
www.opinionynoticias.comNEWSNoNoNoHTTP/HTTPSNoNo1
lamananadigital.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSNoNoNoNoNo2
caraotadigital.newsNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
caraotadigital.xyzNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
lapatilla.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
www.lapatilla.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
www.caraotadigital.netNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
antena3internacional.comNEWSDNSNoNoNoNoNo1
www.aporrea.orgNEWSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSNoNoNoNoNo2
alnavio.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
alekboyd.blogspot.comNEWSNoDNSNoDNSDNSNo3
dolartoday.infoNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
dolartoday.orgNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
eldolarparalelo.infoNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
bit.ly/venezuela911NEWSNoNoNoHTTPNoNo1
analisis24.comNEWSNoNoDNSDNSDNSNo3
www.venezuelaaldia.comNEWSNoDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS5
diariolaregion.netNEWSDNS + HTTPSNoDNSDNSDNSDNS6
venezuelaaldia.comNEWSNoNoDNSDNSDNSNo3
6topoder.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
infob.aeNEWSDNSDNSHTTPDNSDNSDNS6
armando.infoNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSNoDNS5
monitoreamos.comNEWSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
www.maduradas.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSNo6
www.noticierodigital.comNEWSDNSNoNoNoNoNo1
es.insightcrime.orgNEWSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSNoNoNoNoNo2
www.insightcrime.orgNEWSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSNoNoNoNoNo2
albertonews.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
awsveanews.comNEWSDNSNoNoNoNoDNS2
b1tly4n3s.comNEWSDNSNoNoNoNoDNS2
www.b1tlydns02io.comNEWSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSNoNoNoNoDNS3
www.tvvenezuela.tvNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
puntodecorte.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
cronica.unoNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
efectococuyo.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
evtv.onlineNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
evtvmiami.comNEWSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
noticialdia.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSNoDNSDNSDNSDNS6
www.ntn24.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
dollar.nuNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
dolarparalelovenezuela.comNEWSDNSDNSNoNoDNSNo3
www.aguacateverde.comNEWSDNSDNSNoDNSDNSDNS5
dollarparalelovenezuela.comNEWSDNSDNSNoDNSDNSDNS5
noticiasvenezuela.orgNEWSNoDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS5
www.2001.com.veNEWSDNSNoNoNoNoNo1
www.eltiempo.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
www.infobae.mediaNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
www.minuto30.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
noticias.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNS + HTTP/HTTPSDNSDNS7
www.infobae.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
minuto30.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
maduradas.comNEWSDNSDNSNoDNSDNSDNS5
alekboyd.blogspot.co.ukNEWSDNSDNSNoDNSDNSDNS5
noticiaaldia.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
elpitazo.comNEWSDNSDNSNoDNSDNSDNS5
elpitazo.infoNEWSDNSDNSNoDNSDNSDNS5
elpitazo.netNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
dolarparalelo.bizNEWSDNSDNSNoNoDNSNo3
liberal-venezolano.blogspot.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6
vivoplay.netNEWSHTTPSDNSNoDNSDNSNo4
vpitv.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSNoDNSNo5
www.vpitv.comNEWSDNS + HTTPSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS7
dolartoday.comNEWSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNSDNS6