caracas, venezuela
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Faced with the possibility of armed conflict with the United States, the Venezuelan government appears to be encouraging its citizens to spy on each other by using an improved mobile application to report suspicious persons and activities.
The software, called VenApp, was originally launched by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in 2022 as a hybrid application that combined a helpline and messaging service for people to report problems with public services such as power outages and water outages.
The information is now being used as a tool for Venezuelans to notify the government of any information that could be deemed inflammatory or disingenuous, raising alarm among Maduro opponents and human rights groups about a potential surge in political detentions.
“This initiative promotes social vigilance and the militarization of security, and represents serious concerns for privacy, freedom of expression, and security,” online activist group Venezuela Sin Filtro said in a statement.
Venezuela’s Ministry of Information did not respond to requests for comment on criticism of the app.
Concerned that U.S. pressure, such as President Donald Trump’s recent approval of CIA operations in Venezuela, could cause havoc in the country, President Maduro last month asked the military to oversee the creation of “a new app that will allow our people to safely report everything they hear and read.”
Updates were made within a week.
Adding to government fears that the United States is pursuing “regime change” in the South American country, the U.S. military is sending warships, fighter jets and up to 10,000 troops to the southern Caribbean, said to be fighting drug traffickers.
The operation, which the Trump administration claims killed more than 60 suspected “narco-terrorists,” has been criticized by the United Nations, some U.S. lawmakers and even some governments in the region. They are concerned about the abuse of presidential power to commit what they call extrajudicial killings without disclosing any incriminating evidence.
President Maduro has ruled Venezuela with an iron fist since 2013, clinging to power despite suffering a clear and decisive defeat in the 2024 presidential election. The country’s election authorities, solidified by Maduro’s supporters, declared him the winner amid allegations of voter fraud, which the government denies.
When widespread street protests erupted after that election, President Maduro called on people to use VenApp to report anti-government activity. Later, human rights organizations such as Amnesty International also spoke out. Amnesty International warned that the app “restricts people’s rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, as well as potentially leading to unlawful arrest, detention and other serious human rights violations.”
In response to the uproar, Apple and Google removed VenApp from the Play Store.
However, even though the download was no longer possible, the app did not stop working. Those who had VenApp before August 2024 can access it on their smartphones, and the government has also created and sponsored a mobile version that runs in a browser.
In the capital, Caracas, CNN conducted a rare investigation into the application.
He urged people to report any sightings of drones or “suspicious persons” in Venezuela to the government.
Human rights groups have renewed their criticism and expressed concern about the persecution of dissidents in the country, where more than 800 people have been jailed for political reasons, according to legal rights group Foro Penar. The government denies holding political prisoners.
Among the VenApp users who support the government’s cause is a resident of a slum on the outskirts of Caracas who spoke anonymously, fearing government retaliation for speaking to foreign journalists and retaliation from neighboring countries that oppose Maduro.
He told CNN that the app works brilliantly to solve public works problems and that he would not hesitate to use it to inform other Venezuelans if he felt the country was under attack by foreign forces.
“We are good revolutionaries and ready to defend our homeland, our homeland!” said a man in his 50s who works odd jobs in Venezuela’s vast “informal economy.”
It is difficult to quantify how many other Venezuelans support Mr. Maduro.
Mr. Maduro won about 30% of the vote in last year’s election, according to election tallies collected by opposition parties that were found to be legitimate by CNN analysis. The European Union and independent election monitoring organizations such as the Carter Center and the Colombian Electoral Mission also supported the opposition’s claims.
Similarly, it is difficult to gauge what kind of support a U.S. attack on Venezuelan territory would receive. Most Venezuelans who spoke to CNN in Caracas were wary of sharing their opinions publicly.
VenApp may be part of the reason.
“I never dreamed of downloading it,” one opposition supporter told CNN, also speaking on condition of anonymity. “It’s scary that an app exists where citizens can criticize each other.”
“Besides, how do you know the app isn’t spying on you?” said a woman in her 40s who works for a private media company. “This is a government that spies on its people.”
