Online safety & content laws in Venezuela (2026)

CONATEL orders ISPs to block websites and platforms by telephone, deliberately leaving no written record. Blocks are carried out without due process, judicial review, or right of appeal, and employ DNS filtering, SNI filtering, and IP blocking techniques.

The 2010 Social Responsibility Law (Resorte-ME) extends broadcast content rules to electronic media and holds intermediary platforms liable for third-party content that 'promotes anxiety', 'alters public order', or 'questions legitimate authority', granting CONATEL broad discretionary power to impose fines and order takedowns.

The Ley Contra el Odio requires intermediaries to remove content classified as 'hate speech' within six hours of posting or face heavy fines; penalties for individuals can reach 20 years imprisonment, and media outlets can be shut down.

Enacted 29 November 2024, this law penalises individuals and media that 'promote, invoke, support or benefit from' foreign sanctions against Venezuela. Platforms and news sites risk fines and licence revocation; the law also creates a state registry of suspects subject to asset freezes, raising broad censorship concerns.

X (Twitter) has been blocked since 8 August 2024 by direct presidential order; Signal, YouTube, TikTok, Telegram, and at least 61 independent news sites remained blocked as of early 2025. Authorities also blocked more than 20 VPN provider websites in January 2025 to prevent circumvention.

VE sin Filtro documented over 200 domains blocked between July 2024 and January 2025, targeting opposition vote-tally sites and independent media during and after the disputed presidential election. Freedom House recorded Venezuela's internet-freedom score as the second-largest decline globally in 2025.