Following the blockages of news websites, the use of VPNs and applications such as Noticias Sin Filtro are the best option to stay informed
In view of the upcoming presidential elections that will take place this Sunday, July 28 in Venezuela, at least 10 websites of independent media and non-profit organizations were blocked in a new censorship attack, as reported by Andrés Azpúrua, director of the organization VE Without Filter.
According to Azpúrua’s assessment presented in the program Night of of SuchWhichThe blockade carried out on July 22 affected 3 fact-checking pages, 2 press society organizations and some of the most important media in the country, including: TalCual, Medianalisis, El Estímulo, Runrun.es and VE Sin Filtro itself.
“The blockages have been very intentional,” said the expert. Currently, 60 media outlets are blocked in the country, 84 domains are also blocked, as well as 9 pages of human rights organizations and 19 pages of political criticism.
*Read also: Conatel blocks six web portals in one day
Unfiltered news
In light of these events, Azpúrua recommends installing a VPN that allows access to news portals despite censorship. Psiphon, Tunnel Bear, Lantern and Proton VPN are some of the free and reliable connections available for Android and iPhone.
In addition, the director of VE Sin Filtro recalled that Noticias Sin Filtro is also available in the Playstore. “This is an application to view news with information from Venezuelan digital media without censorship and without the need for a VPN,” he recalled. It is designed under categories, to be able to explore the topics and pages of greatest interest to the user.
It has an additional function that allows you to play audio files as if it were a radio, listen to podcasts, programs, interviews and the most important news headlines of the moment.
DNS Blocks
The expert warned that “a significant part of the blocks affecting information pages in the country are blocks by DNS.” Although it is the most common and there are various tools to evade them, not all attacks are of this type. He added that servers such as NetUno, Inter, Digitel and Movistar usually block by DNS. Other types of blocks are by HTTPS and by IP, to evade this situation, it is necessary to have a VPN or a proxy.
Censorship, Blocks and VPNs
Historically, the country has faced various types of blockages on websites and social media of news media. 2014 was one of the major peaks of digital repression, as conventional media were blocked.
In 2017, during the anti-government protests, they blocked media outlets that broadcast the events live via streaming, and in 2019 they temporarily blocked social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and SoundCloud.
Although these acts have become commonplace, Azpúrua said that “censorship is a violation of human rights, freedom of expression and freedom of information,” and encouraged citizens to follow these steps to stay informed and much more on July 28.
You can access the full interview by clicking here click here.
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