{"id":151821,"date":"2020-01-20T12:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-01-20T12:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=151821"},"modified":"2024-09-23T14:39:32","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T13:39:32","slug":"under-us-pressure-social-media-companies-censor-critical-content-and-suspend-venezuelan-iranian-and-syrian-accounts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2020\/01\/under-us-pressure-social-media-companies-censor-critical-content-and-suspend-venezuelan-iranian-and-syrian-accounts\/","title":{"rendered":"Under US Pressure, Social Media Companies Censor Critical Content and Suspend Venezuelan, Iranian, and Syrian Accounts"},"content":{"rendered":"

12 Jan 2020 – As the US escalates its hybrid wars, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are suspending accounts and censoring content that conflicts with Washington\u2019s pro-war narrative. We spoke to several people silenced in these social media purges.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Donald Trump administration is ramping up its information war against Venezuela, Iran, and Syria. And it has enlisted social media platforms as weapons in its assault on these top regime-change targets.<\/p>\n

In the first two weeks of January, Twitter suspended dozens of accounts run by real, live people \u2014 not bots \u2014 in Venezuela, Iran, and Syria. Those erased from the website included heads of state, numerous state institutions, media outlets, and many average people who do not work for their governments.<\/p>\n

The supreme leader of Iran, president of Syria, and leader of Venezuela\u2019s National Assembly have all had their Twitter accounts temporarily suspended or restricted in recent days. Numerous alternative media outlets have suffered the same fate.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Facebook, and its subsidiary Instagram, has announced that it will be censoring content that it deems to be supportive of Iran\u2019s top General Qassem Soleimani<\/a>, who was assassinated in a US act of war on January 3.<\/p>\n

The Big Tech giant said this censorship of users\u2019 free speech will be done in order to comply with Washington\u2019s suffocating sanctions on Iran<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This draconian crackdown on social media comes while the Trump administration is aggressively expanding its economic and diplomatic warfare against these independent countries, in hopes of ultimately overthrowing their sovereign governments.<\/p>\n

The Grayzone spoke with some of the Venezuelan and Iranian civilian activists who do not work for their governments but who had their Twitter accounts suspended. They all said they were not given any warning, notice, or even an explanation why they were blocked from the platform.<\/p>\n

As The Grayzone has previously reported, Big Tech<\/a> corporations are closely linked<\/a> to the US government<\/a>, and have increasingly acted an extension of it<\/a>, purging the accounts of officials<\/a> from foreign governments that are targeted by Washington for regime change, also including China, Russia, Cuba<\/a>, Palestine<\/a>, and beyond.<\/p>\n

In early 2020, this social media warfare dramatically escalated.<\/p>\n

Twitter Purges Venezuelan Government and Media Accounts<\/strong><\/p>\n

Twitter has on numerous occasions suspended hundreds<\/a> of accounts<\/a> run by Venezuelans<\/a>, in a series of purges<\/a> targeting not only government-linked profiles but also those run by civilian activists from the leftist Chavista movement.<\/p>\n

The social media giant has done this while simultaneously verifying and promoting the accounts of US-backed opposition activists and coup-mongers, like Juan Guaid\u00f3<\/a> and his rapidly fading shadow regime<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Grayzone has previously reported on how Twitter relies on organizations funded by the US government and European allies<\/a> to crack down on foreign state media and suspend accounts that challenge Washington\u2019s narratives.<\/p>\n

On January 7, the Big Tech corporation carried out yet another round of suspensions. And even when The Grayzone contacted with the company with a request for comment, it still did not give a clear reason.<\/p>\n

In this latest purge, Twitter suspended the official accounts of Venezuela\u2019s National Guard<\/a>, Navy<\/a>, Air Force<\/a>, Strategic Command<\/a>, Petroleum Ministry<\/a>, Penitentiary Services Ministry<\/a>, National Commission of Information Technology<\/a>, and Foundation Engineering Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The office of the government of the Capital District<\/a>, the office of the vice president of the economy<\/a>, and the press office<\/a> of the armed forces also had their accounts removed by Twitter.<\/p>\n

Together, these blocked accounts had millions of followers.<\/p>\n

The accounts of Venezuela\u2019s Central Bank and Ministry of Economics and Finance were temporarily taken down, but later restored.<\/p>\n

Venezuelan media outlets that challenge the right-wing narratives pushed by the major corporate media networks and Washington were also censored. Twitter suspended the accounts of the major radio station La Radio del Sur<\/a>; the popular news website Red Radio Venezuela<\/a>; and Ciudad CCS<\/a>, the newspaper of the municipality of Caracas, the capital of the country.<\/p>\n

Twitter has even on numerous occasions suspended the accounts of Venezuela\u2019s elected President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro<\/a>, although in response to widespread outrage it later brought them back.<\/p>\n

But not all the Venezuelans who were deplatformed worked for state-backed institutions. Popular Chavista activists like Patricia Dorta<\/a>, who had nearly 40,000 followers; and Yepfri Arguello<\/a> had their accounts suspended, without explanation, in the January 7 purge.<\/p>\n

Individual government officials were targeted as well. Twitter suspended the accounts of V\u00edctor Clark<\/a>, the governor of the state of Falc\u00f3n from the ruling United Socialist Party (PSUV); Jes\u00fas Su\u00e1rez Chourio<\/a>, the former general commander of Venezuela\u2019s military; and Hugbel Roa<\/a>, an elected represented in the National Assembly also from PSUV.<\/p>\n

Kenny Ossa<\/a>, a prominent activist advocating for technology education and freedom of access to information who serves as the president of Venezuela\u2019s National Center of Information Technology, had his account removed for the second time.<\/p>\n

Twitter also suspended the profile of prominent Venezuelan activist Freddy Bernal<\/a>, a leader in the Chavista movement who helps oversee the government\u2019s CLAP food program, which provides some 7 million families receive large boxes of food for a few pennies. His account was however later restored.<\/p>\n

In its series of purges, Twitter has almost without exception targeted Venezuelans from the leftist Chavista movement, which Washington has tried to crush since it first came to power in the 1998 election of President Hugo Ch\u00e1vez.<\/p>\n

But in what appears to be a first, Twitter even went after a major right-wing Venezuelan opposition politician in its January 7 purge.<\/p>\n

The social media corporation restricted the account of Venezuelan lawmaker Luis Parra days after he was elected president of the National Assembly<\/a>. Unlike the others censored by Twitter, Parra is from Primero Justicia, a right-wing opposition party that is backed by the US government.<\/p>\n

The restriction of a right-wing Venezuelan opposition leader at exactly the moment when that figure was condemned by Washington is among the clearest indications of the US government\u2019s influence over Twitter.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/madeleintlSUR\/status\/1215441262829961216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1215441262829961216&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthegrayzone.com%2F2020%2F01%2F12%2Fus-pressure-social-media-censoring-suspending-venezuela-iran-syria%2F<\/p>\n

The Grayzone spoke with Dhaymi Pe\u00f1a, who manages the station La Radio del Sur whose account was suspended by Twitter. She said the social media worker who runs the account was sent a notice that their profile was taken down, and provided a link to Twitter\u2019s guidelines. \u201cBut there was not a direct reason,\u201d Pe\u00f1a said, \u201crather just the general rules.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is difficult for us,\u201d she commented, noting that other Venezuelan media outlets have also suffered from these suspensions.<\/p>\n

Vanessa Guti\u00e9rrez<\/a>, a Venezuelan journalist who hosts a show on La Radio del Sur, has also had her own personal Twitter account suspended twice. She told The Grayzone that her profile was suspended for the second time in October 2019, but after numerous petitions to the company, it was later restored.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a massive attack against accounts run by the government and media outlets,\u201d Guti\u00e9rrez said. \u201cIt seems like they were trying a test run.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen they suspend the accounts, they always direct you to the rules. But they don\u2019t give you proof of the \u2018infraction,’\u201d she explained.<\/p>\n

The Venezuelan journalist added, \u201cThere is no excuse given, they simply silence us.\u201d<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/vgutierrezf\/status\/1214677038151426048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1214677038151426048&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fthegrayzone.com%2F2020%2F01%2F12%2Fus-pressure-social-media-censoring-suspending-venezuela-iran-syria%2F<\/p>\n

Twitter Suspends Iranian Media Outlets and Civilian Activists<\/strong><\/p>\n

Iran has also faced a wave of social media censorship at precisely the same time it has come under the gun of the US government. Iranian officials, media outlets, and activists have been censored by Twitter in an accelerated purge this month.<\/p>\n

The Grayzone has previously documented how Google, Facebook, and Twitter have removed social media accounts of real-life Iranians<\/a>, including journalists.<\/p>\n

In the wake of the Trump administration\u2019s execution of Iran\u2019s top general Soleimani, a clear act of war, Twitter moved to restrict the account of Iran\u2019s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n

Twitter has also in the past suspended Khamenei\u2019s Spanish-language account<\/a>. And it has even banned an account that posted videos and excerpts of speeches of Iran\u2019s first supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.@khamenei_ir<\/a> account restricted by Twitter. pic.twitter.com\/wPSMJuDdEV<\/a><\/p>\n

— Sahar Esfandiari (@saharesfandiari) January 11, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n