Responding to reports of the Venezuelan government-backed app, being updated to allow users to report people voicing dissent towards the current government in the immediate aftermath of the disputed re-election of President Nicolas Maduro, Matt Mahmoudi, Head of Amnesty International’s Silicon Valley Initiative, said:
“The fact that technology developers revised the app to add this new function and technology platforms then put it on widely available sources, begs the question: are these companies fulfilling their human rights responsibilities?
“If they were, they would have assessed the risk of such an app being used by the Venezuelan government to not only limit people’s right to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, but also potentially contribute to unlawful arrests, detention, and other serious human rights abuses.
“By encouraging the reporting of protestors and providing a platform in which this can be done at a large scale, the Venezuelan government risks breaching international human rights law.
“Amnesty has documented repeatedly how, too often, technology companies engage in practices that creates adverse human rights impacts without proper assessment of these risks. These companies have a responsibility to do their due diligence and adequately address any potential risks, which should have been quite clear in this case, given the Venezuelan administration’s long history of cracking down on any form of dissent.”
Background
Addressing his supporters last week, President Maduro encouraged Venezuelans to report protesters who question his re-election via the government owned VenApp.
According to human rights groups, thousands of people have since been arrested and over a dozen killed in a post-election crackdown against the opposition.
Venezuela is currently facing an investigation by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, including persecution and the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela has reported the policy of repression implemented by the authorities.
VenApp was launched by President Nicolas Maduro in 2022 ostensibly to receive public complaints on issues such as power outages and medical emergencies.
It appears to have been repurposed with additional functionality after the announcement of Maduro’s re-election, enabling users to make reports against protestors.
The app has since been removed from Google play and App Store following a massive public outcry, but it remains live for those who had already downloaded the app on their phones.
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