Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro launched a tirade against social media during an event with Chavista youth and in a national broadcast, where he deleted the WhatsApp application live, accusing it of meddling in the country's affairs. "You're gone, WhatsApp. If I’ve seen you, I don’t remember," said Maduro in a kind of tutorial for his Venezuelan followers to get rid of the app.
"Through WhatsApp, they are threatening the Venezuelan military families, all the officers, through WhatsApp they are threatening the police families, through WhatsApp they are threatening community leaders, through WhatsApp they are threatening everyone who does not speak out in favor of fascism," he declared.
In his speech, Maduro urged his followers to undertake a "voluntary, progressive, and radical withdrawal" from the application and suggested Telegram as an alternative for communication. "I am breaking relations with WhatsApp because they are using it to threaten Venezuela, so I am going to delete my WhatsApp from my phone forever. Gradually, I will move my contacts to Telegram, to WeChat (...) it is necessary to do this, say no to WhatsApp, get WhatsApp out of Venezuela," he added in the defiant tone that has characterized him in recent months.
Maduro's Broader Attack on Social Media
Thus, the popular messaging app joins the list of platforms banned and attacked by Maduro, following allegations of electoral fraud committed by his government on July 28, 2024. "The main instruments consciously multiplying hate and fascism, and the attempt to divide Venezuelans and create fascist fanatics who attack the police, the military, or the Chavista people in their communities, are TikTok and Instagram," he stated.
The leader claimed that Venezuela lacks "any national regulation" regarding the use of social media. Consequently, he requested recommendations from the Defense Council and the Security Council on this issue, following protests triggered by the announcement of the National Electoral Council (CNE) declaring Maduro's victory without showing electoral records.
Recently, Maduro lost his government entity verification on the social network X (the gray checkmark), owned by businessman Elon Musk, a development that occurred after a heated exchange between the two over the electoral fraud accusations.
Musk's decision to remove Maduro's verification followed a series of similar actions by other social media platforms. For instance, Meta removed the blue check from Maduro's accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, which indicated that he was a recognized personality.
Many of Maduro's followers have started to follow the dictator's instructions. Among the reactions broadcasted on a television channel was a man who claimed to have deleted the application after heeding the president's call. However, during the interview, he received a call via WhatsApp.
FAQs: Maduro’s Campaign Against WhatsApp
In light of Maduro's recent actions against WhatsApp and other social media platforms, here are some frequently asked questions and their answers.
Why did Maduro delete WhatsApp?
Maduro accused WhatsApp of being used to threaten Venezuelan military and police families, as well as community leaders, and urged his followers to switch to other apps like Telegram.
What alternatives to WhatsApp did Maduro suggest?
Maduro suggested using Telegram and WeChat as alternatives for communication instead of WhatsApp.
How has Maduro's stance on social media affected his verification status?
Maduro lost his government entity verification on the social network X and had his blue check removed from his accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads following accusations of electoral fraud.