Английская Википедия:Block of Wikipedia in Venezuela

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Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Use British English Шаблон:Infobox event On 12 January 2019, the main telecommunications provider in Venezuela, CANTV, issued a block against the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. All of CANTV's 1.5 million users were affected by the decision. The block was lifted on 18 January 2019, following widespread criticism against the state-owned company, claiming it was in response to the Venezuelan presidential crisis.

The block coincided with Juan Guaidó's claims to become acting president during the beginning of the Venezuelan presidential crisis. During the crisis, several Internet outages were reported as well as the blocking of multiple websites, including Wikipedia.

Wikimedia Venezuela reported another block of Wikipedia on 23 January 2019.

Context

Шаблон:See also The Wikipedia block occurred in the midst of several edit wars on the Spanish Wikipedia articles of Nicolás Maduro, Juan Guaidó, President of Venezuela and List of presidents of Venezuela. The edit wars were in conflict over edits by both registered users and anonymous IP users, with different opinions on the re-election of Maduro as president of Venezuela from 2019, the assumption of the presidency by Guaidó, as well as about the chronology of the presidency. Initial edits claimed that Guaidó was declared president, with following wars removing this information.

Block

On the afternoon of 12 January 2019, the NetBlocks Internet observatory collected technical evidence of the blocking of all versions of Wikipedia in Venezuela. The restrictions were implemented by CANTV, the largest telecommunications provider in the country. NetBlocks identified a major disruption to the network affecting the telecommunications infrastructure, which coincided with other restrictions affecting the ability of Venezuelans to access information in the previous 24 hours. It was believed that the reason was an attempt to hide or suppress the Wikipedia article of the newly appointed president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, who included him as "51st President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela." The information collected also shows several websites that had recently been restricted, meaning that political instability in the country may be the main motive for the control of the Internet.

The Observatory VE without filters (Spanish: VE sin Filtro) also collected information about the block, showing that it was an irregularly effective block, an HTTP filtering block according to the SNI (Server Name Indication), preventing a connection to the server from being established with high frequency. The group reported that they thought that the block had ended on 13 January at 4:50pm, but the blocking methods showed up later, and they deleted the tweet with the incorrect information.

Similarly, several media outlets suggested that Wikipedia directly or indirectly was taking sides with either group.Шаблон:Refn

Reactions

Wikimedia Foundation

On 13 January, the Wikimedia Foundation said that they were opening an investigation into the ongoing event, and that they were still receiving web traffic and edits from Venezuela at the same time.

Wikimedia Venezuela

In a statement, Wikimedia Venezuela announced: Шаблон:Quote

Human Rights Violations in 2022

On October 17, 2022, Óscar Costero, a renowned Wikipedian, visited the main office of the Administrative Service of Identification, Migration, and Immigration (SAIME) in Caracas due to online complications renewing his passport. What initially seemed like a routine administrative procedure quickly escalated into a series of human rights violations. Upon his arrival, Costero was informed of an alleged "exit ban" from the country. An unidentified officer kept him waiting for hours, eventually forcing him to sign a statement indicating he was under investigation and had not been mistreated during his time at SAIME. Matters took a turn for the worse when, without warning, he was arrested by the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigation Corps (CICPC) and taken for questioning. The interrogation focused on his personal life, finances, affiliation with Wikimedia, and his association with Santiago De Viana, a Wikipedia editor who focused on political topics. It emerged that De Viana had been a target of defamation, accused of corruption and links to drug trafficking. Costero was also mentioned in these defamation attempts. These incidents are believed to stem from a targeted campaign that began after the 2019 blackout, intensifying against Costero, De Viana, and Wikimedia Venezuela by the year's end. Despite his release, Costero faced movement restrictions and continued denial of his basic rights. On November 11, 2022, lawyers from Espacio Público attempted to access the case file but faced obstruction from judicial authorities. Multiple irregularities piled up, including a lack of clarity about specific charges and a rejected protection request filed in January 2023. Despite a court ruling that no harm was inflicted on Costero, it's clear that his rights to due process, freedom of association, free expression, and free movement were violated. These events vividly illustrate the judicial persecution against Costero and De Viana. Costero's defense has repeatedly demanded full access to the case file, emphasizing that his rights have already been severely breached. Freedom of association and expression are vital for a democratic society's progression. The Venezuelan state is urged to respect and guarantee these fundamental rights, in line with its international commitments.

Wikipedia Controversy

Tension arose from an editorial conflict over Juan Guaidó's Wikipedia biography. Editors couldn't agree on whether Guaidó should be recognized as Venezuela's president. This "edit war" prompted the government to temporarily block Wikipedia access in the country. While Wikimedia Venezuela sought clarity about the block's reasons, access was restored a week later without an official explanation.

Detention and Violation of Due Process

In October 2022, Oscar Costero was arbitrarily detained when trying to renew his passport. During detention, he was questioned about his personal life, finances, and relations with Wikimedia and Santiago De Viana. This act was denounced by the NGO Espacio Público, which deemed the detention a violation of due process. Additionally, it's alleged that Costero was baselessly accused of money laundering and inciting hatred.

Defamation Campaign

De Viana became particularly susceptible to defamation due to a pseudonym he used on Wikipedia, closely linked to his real name. From this, an anonymous blog launched a defamation campaign, labeling him as a "Wikipedia blackmailer." These unverified reports also linked the editors to drug trafficking activities.

Repercussions and Response

The NGO Espacio Público has actively defended Oscar Costero's rights, demanding case transparency. The organization underscores freedom of expression and association's significance, highlighting their importance in a democratic society's existence. The Costero and De Viana case illustrates the precarious state of freedom of expression in certain regions, spotlighting the challenges faced by those contributing to free and objective information dissemination.

Government

On 15 January, Nicolás Maduro spoke about Wikipedia and said that the opposition was "aiming to garner political power and become president of the Wikipedia Republic, of the Twitter Republic", in reference to the edit wars that took place surrounding the appointment of Juan Guaidó as president in the midst of the presidential crisis. Maduro added "There they are with their Wikipedia and their Twitter".

William Castillo, former president of the National Commission of Telecommunications (Conatel) and current deputy minister of International Communication denied the block of Wikipedia, and alleged that it was a DoS attack against the site, to discredit the Venezuelan government.

See also

• 2019 Venezuelan presidential crisis
• Block of Wikipedia in Turkey
• Censorship in Venezuela
• Censorship of Wikipedia