Seeing this headline at the Newsweek website—”Chávez Twists Twitter Into Tool of Repression“—means you’re likely to read the latest dispatch from the magazine’s Latin America correspondent Mac Margolis, who has amassed a stunning record of creating panic about the region’s leftist leaders. (See “Newsweek‘s Name-Calling Neoliberal,” from Extra!‘s January 2010 issue.)
Margolis argues that when Iranian protesters used Twitter to criticize their government, it was seen as a “tool of revolution and freedom.” Not so in Venezuela, though, where Chávez “has figured out how to twist this tool into one of repression.”
“Far from embracing the democratic spirit of the Web,” Margolis writes, Chávez (“the Venezuelan strongman”) wants to use the technology to get people “to spy on each other.” Margolis writes:
El Presidente has hired a staff of 200 to deal with tweeted “requests, denunciations and other problems,” which have resulted in actions against allegedly credit-stingy banks and currency speculators.
Banks and currency speculators? Well, that sounds chilling indeed.
Margolis adds that Chávez is “considering going a step further, and ruling that all Venezuelan websites must move from US-based servers to domestic ones—which would, of course, make them far easier to control. Big Brother would be proud.” That would seem to be a reference to a current debate in the Venezuelan parliament, so it’s unclear how Chávez might “rule” that this happen. And it’s worth reiterating that, as Chávez supporters have noted for years, the private media in the country are intensely critical of his politics, and were instrumental in supporting the coup that briefly removed him from power.
If Chávez wants to use media as a “tool of repression,” he’s not doing a very good job.
Chavez may not be successful in controlling all the private media, but the fact he is trying is the point.
If they control access to the internet, they will be able to monitor any thing they feel is against them. It is no different if Obama or Bush had tried to do the same thing here. At least we have the first amendment…for now.
If Chavez really wanted freedom, he’d leave things right where they are…where NSA can read them.
Chavez doesn’t do a good job with anything, why should his repressive measures be any different?
Venezuela is falling apart & all the red paratrooper can do his rant & rave about the old “speculators” on Twitter. No, it’s not the failure of socialism & his incompetence that are the problem, no.
Venezuela is hardly “falling apart” & MERCOSUR seems to be thriving throughout South America.
Sorry, that was a typo, what I meant to say is “The US is falling apart, that’s why they are taking repressive measures like spying on everybody and asserting the right to assassinate American citizen’s for any (or no) reason at all.”
I regret any confusion my mistake might have created.
Thank you for publishing some truth about Venezuela and its President. The US government, backed (owned) by mega-corporations cannot stand his social welfare programs. I believe they are afraid that if Americans learn the truth about Venezuela’s programs to help the poor via public health care and education initiatives – using the country’s own natural resources – people in the US might demand those services, too. As it is, the US government gives resource rights to corporations who suck everything dry and leave devastation in their wake.
Viva Chavez! Viva Venezuela!