The Venezuelan government on Sunday accused Facebook of "
digital totalitarianism
", denouncing the blocking for 30 days of the page of Socialist President Nicolas Maduro for "
repeated violations
" by the latter of the American company's policy on disinformation linked to Covid- 19.
Read also: Facebook “
blocks
” Maduro's account for a month
"
We are witnessing a digital totalitarianism exerted by supranational companies which want to impose their law on the countries of the world
", indicates a press release from the Venezuelan Ministry of Communication and Information.
The blocking of the page, which prevents its administrators from posting new messages for a month without making it invisible, followed the deletion of a video by Maduro on the drug Carvativir, whose effectiveness has yet to be seen. demonstrated by medical studies, says Facebook.
"
We have removed a video posted on the page of President Nicolas Maduro for violating our policies of disinformation (...) which could put people in danger
", explained the social network.
"
It is striking that, in a sort of tyranny of the algorithm, one mainly persecutes the contents directed towards the fight against the pandemic
", retorted the Venezuelan government.
Read also: Venezuela: Maduro threatens to "respond with force" to the Colombian commando
Caracas also viewed Facebook's move as an “
extension
” of US sanctions against Venezuela in an attempt to depose Nicolas Maduro, calling it an “
act of censorship
”.
The National Union of Press Workers (SNTP), one of the country's leading journalist organizations, accuses the Maduro government of carrying out "
a systematic policy
" against critical media.
In the same vein, the NGO for the freedom of expression Espacio Público denounces the closure of more than a hundred media since the arrival to power of the leader in 2013.