Signal blocked amid political disputes

The encrypted messaging app Signal, widely used by people seeking to avoid government censorship, is facing blocks in Venezuela and Russia.

These blockades appear to be part of a broader crackdown on internal conflicts, and come as a response to both governments increasing their control measures over communications.

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Blockade in Venezuela amid political crisis

In Venezuela, the Signal blockade comes in the wake of last month’s highly contested presidential election. The close race has led to a wave of protests and arrests as President Nicolás Maduro tries to hold on to power. According to MSNBC, the United States has recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the true winner of the election.

Internet monitoring service NetBlocks reported Thursday night that Signal had become “inaccessible on multiple internet service providers” in Venezuela. In addition to blocking Signal, Maduro also ordered the censorship of the X platform (formerly known as Twitter), as reported by the Associated Press. These actions underscore the government’s attempt to control the narrative and suppress the opposition.

Signal was also blocked in Russia

In Russia, Signal has also faced significant blocking. The country’s communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, said the app violated Russian law, according to Interfax.

In response, Russia has restricted access to Signal’s servers on most internet service providers, making it difficult to use the app in the country. In addition, Russian users are now having difficulty registering new Signal accounts without using a VPN, according to Reuters.

NetBlocks confirmed on Friday that restrictions on Signal were in place across most of Russia, but noted that Signal’s censorship bypass feature still allowed the app to remain usable for some users. Signal acknowledged the blocks and advised affected users to enable this feature to continue accessing the service.

We’re aware of reports that access to Signal has been blocked in some countries. As a reminder, Signal’s built-in censorship circumvention feature might be able to help if your connection is affected:

Signal Settings > Privacy > Advanced > Censorship circumvention (on)

— Signal (@signalapp) August 9, 2024

YouTube also under attack in Russia

In addition to the Signal blocks, users in Russia reported a mass outage of YouTube, raising concerns about an even broader crackdown on communications platforms.

YouTube spokesperson Ciaran Ward told The Verge that the outage was not caused by technical issues on the company’s end, suggesting the censorship may have been deliberate.

Fonte: The Verge