X has been blocked in Venezuela for 10 days – here’s how to unblock it
President Nicolas Maduro has banned X (formerly known as Twitter) for 10 days over a public spat with social media owner Elon Musk.
British internet watchdog NetBlocks confirmed the block on Friday, August 9, 2024 (see tweet below).
This means that you should now use one of the best VPN apps to continue accessing the platforms, whether you live in Venezuela or are visiting in the coming weeks.
⚠️ Confirmed: Live stats show X (formerly Twitter) is now restricted in #Venezuela as embattled President Maduro orders regulator Conatel to ban the platform for 10 days, saying it is promoting civil war; the incident comes a day after similar calls to ban X in the UK #8Ago pic.twitter.com/LuXr6kLBgDAugust 9, 2024
The feud between Maduro and Musk has grown after disputed election results with the Venezuelan president confirming his mandate for another six years.
From his X-report, Musk dismissed the victory as a “major election fraudwith Maduro accusing the billionaire of “stirring up hatred.”
“Elon Musk is the owner of X and has broken all the rules of the social network itself,” Maduro said in a speech at a pro-government rally – Al Jazeera reported – before signing the decree for the 10-day ban.
How a VPN Can Help
VPN usage in Venezuela has increased following the presidential election, as authorities have reportedly blocked many websites. For example, Proton VPN has recorded a 13,000% increase in registrations above normal levels year-to-date. This trend is likely to increase now that X is inaccessible until at least Monday, August 19, unless a circumvention tool is used.
This is because a VPN, short for virtual private network, is a security software that not only encrypts your internet connections but also spoofs your IP address location. This latter ability makes it look like you’re surfing the web from a completely different country in no time.
It all sounds very technical, but it’s actually as easy as downloading and using any other application. All you need to do is subscribe to your chosen service, download the VPN app to your device, and connect to one of the servers in a country with no online restrictions. All the top VPNs have a huge international network, so you’ll be spoiled for choice.
Whenever possible, I recommend downloading your VPN app before entering the country to avoid potential blocks. If you’re already in the country, here are some tips to get around issues with your VPN.
While NordVPN is Ny Breaking’s #1 recommendation at the time of writing, I also recommend getting as many VPNs as possible so that you can easily switch from one to another if you run into issues using a specific provider.
We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational use. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protect your online security and enhance your online privacy abroad. We do not support or tolerate illegal or malicious use of VPN services. The consumption of paid pirated content is not endorsed or approved by Future Publishing.