Interception and blockade operations in Venezuela went under the table

Labatilla

August 19, 2024, 11:05 PM

Telefónica, the parent company of Movistar, has omitted basic data on the interception and blocking of requests in Venezuela for the second year in a row. In its 2023 transparency report, the company provided details of operations in 11 countries, but in the case of Venezuela, it only lists the number of mobile, fixed-line, internet and television services, leaving out important information about the state of surveillance.

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This silence is notable, especially when Movistar admitted in 2021 that it had intercepted 20.5% of the country’s active mobile lines. According to VE without filterwhich has been closely monitoring these omissions, this represents a clear violation of the right to privacy. The organization notes that in 2021, there was a 17% increase in objection requests compared to the previous year, indicating that the situation could have worsened.

Telefónica’s decision not to disclose this data calls into question its commitment to transparency and respect for human rights, principles it claims to defend. VE Sin Filtro warned that “since 2021, there have been more communications hacks”, stressing that the lack of information prevents us from knowing the true extent of these practices.

Telefónica’s position becomes even more worrying when we consider that other operators in Venezuela, such as Digital, do not even publish transparency reports. “Telefónica chooses to remain silent in the face of intolerable abuses in other markets where it operates,” says VE sin Filtro, criticizing the company’s passivity in the face of state surveillance requests.

The lack of transparency in Venezuelan communications leaves users uncertain about the level of interference in their communications. VE sin Filtro called for clarity and legal action to protect citizens’ rights, and urged companies not to be complicit in potential systematic human rights violations.