Nicolás Maduro blocks X for 10 days in Venezuela amid spat with Elon Musk
GuardianAug 19
Venezuela's Maduro Bans Access to X for 10 Days
Above: President of Venezuela Nicolás Maduro speaks to his supporters during the 'Gran Marcha Nacional' on August 3, 2024 in Caracas, Venezuela. Image copyright: Jesus Vargas/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
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 Spin
Left narrative
Elon 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.
Right narrative
Maduro's desperate refusal to leave power has sent his country into further chaos — and behaving as the dictator he is, he is now attacking every existing social media platform where he can't control information. If Elon Musk were the problem, why would Maduro also attack China-owned TikTok and Meta's Instagram and WhatsApp?