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President Nicolas Maduro has issued a ban on X (formerly known as Twitter) for 10 days over a public row with the social media owner Elon Musk.
UK-based internet watchdog NetBlocks confirmed the block as of Friday, August 9, 2024 (see tweet below).
This means that you now need to use one of the best VPN apps to keep accessing the platforms - whether you live or just visit Venezuela in the next weeks.
⚠️ Confirmed: Live metrics show X (formerly Twitter) is now restricted in #Venezuela as contested president Maduro orders regulator Conatel to ban the platform for 10 days, claiming that it promotes civil war; the incident comes a day after similar calls to ban X in the UK #8Ago pic.twitter.com/LuXr6kLBgDAugust 9, 2024
The beef between Maduro and Musk has grown following contested election results that saw the Venezuelan President confirming his mandate for six more years.
From his X account, Musk dismissed the victory as a "major election fraud," with Maduro accusing the billionaire of "inciting hate."
"Elon Musk is the owner of X and has violated all the rules of the social network itself," said Maduro in a speech at a pro-government demonstration - Al Jazeera reported - before signing off the decree for the 10-day ban.
How a VPN can help
VPN usage in Venezuela has spiked in the aftermath of the presidential election as authorities reportedly blocked many websites. Proton VPN, for example, has recorded a 13000% increase in sign-ups above the normal levels so far. This trend is likely to intensify now that X cannot be accessed at least until Monday, August 19, unless using a circumvention tool.
This is because a VPN, short for virtual private network, is a security software that not only encrypts your internet connections but also spoofs your IP address location. The latter skill makes you appear as if you're browsing the web from a completely different country in no time.
It all sounds very techie, but it's actually as easy as downloading and using any other application. All you need to do is subscribe to your chosen service, download the VPN app on your device, and connect to one of its servers located in a country free of online restrictions. All the top VPNs boast a huge international network so you'll have plenty of choice.
Whenever possible, I suggest downloading your VPN app before entering the country to avoid any potential blocks. In case you are already in the country, here are some tips to get around issues using your VPN.
While TechRadar's #1 recommendation is NordVPN at the time of writing, I also recommend getting as many VPNs as possible so you can hop from one to another in case you have some difficulty using a specific provider.