In an initiative reminiscent of Big Brother, the dictator from the book “1984” (by George Orwell) who watches over everyone, the tyrant of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, asked for an application to be created so that “the population can report everything they see and hear 24 hours a day” to the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fanb) and the militias loyal to Chavismo.
According to information from the Efecto Cocuyo website, the dictator spoke about the subject on Monday (20), in a broadcast on the state channel VTV, and said that the application should be developed within the VenApp system, a social network created in 2022 to receive reports about everyday problems, such as power outages.
“It’s a wonderful idea. We have this tool, we have everything: the organization, the awareness, the leadership, the community militia units, the Bolivarian Militia, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces with their weapons systems and many other things”, said Maduro, who stated that, in addition to the Fanb, the other entities mentioned must also participate in the creation of the application.
Amnesty International has previously reported that VenApp has been adapted to include additional functionality that allows users to report people taking part in demonstrations against the Maduro regime.
In a statement, the NGO VEsinFiltro denounced that Maduro’s plan for the new app “represents a serious risk to privacy, freedom of expression and the integrity of people, by promoting a system of social surveillance and the militarization of citizen control”.
The NGO recalled that, after the Venezuelan dictatorship modified VenApp so that it could be used to denounce and persecute citizens, Google and Apple removed the application from their app stores.
“Maduro’s recent announcement resumes and worsens this precedent, by including armed groups and militias in the development and management of the new application,” he warned.
The dictator’s announcement comes at a time when the United States is intensifying a military operation in the Caribbean Sea under the justification of combating drug trafficking, but which the Chavista regime considers an excuse to overthrow Maduro.
Furthermore, President Donald Trump confirmed last week, as anticipated by The New York Times, that he authorized CIA operations in Venezuela and said he was considering actions “on the ground” in the South American country.
This month, Maduro activated a military plan to respond to a possible invasion of Venezuela.
