Technology Companies Under Scrutiny for App Used to Suppress Dissent in Venezuela
According to reports, an app supporting the Venezuelan government has been updated to allow users to immediately report anyone who expresses dissent after downloading the app. This comes amidst the controversial re-election of President Nicolás Maduro.
Matt Mahmoudi, director of Amnesty International‘s Silicon Valley Initiative, expressed concern, stating, “The fact that technology developers revised the application to include this new feature raises the question: Are these companies fulfilling their responsibilities regarding human rights?
If so, they would have assessed the risk of the Venezuelan government using such a tool not only to limit people’s right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, but also to contribute to illegal arrests and detentions, and abuses of human rights.”
Amnesty International has previously criticized technology companies for implementing measures that negatively impact human rights without proper risk assessment.
President Maduro recently urged his supporters to use the VenApp to report protesters who questioned his election outcome.
Human rights groups estimate that thousands have been detained and over a dozen have died following the elections, amidst a crackdown on dissent.
Venezuela is currently under investigation by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity and the United Nations Truth-Finding Organization on Venezuela has condemned the government’s repression.
The VenApp, initially designed to address issues like power outages and medical emergencies, was recently updated to include the function of reporting protesters. It was subsequently removed from the Google Play Store and App Store but remains accessible to existing users.