the total, is essentially nonexistent, and basic
public education does not incorporate Internet
technologies. 14
In 2000, Venezuela had approximately 240
dot-com businesses, mostly business-to-business rather than business-to-consumer. 15 The
government has been attempting to automate its
processes and put its agencies and services
online, assisted by a newly created agency for
information technology, 16 but these attempts
have not been consistent or thorough.
17
Legal and regulatory frameworks
Venezuelan President Chávez has decreed the
promotion of Internet use as essential to development. 18 Correspondingly, the government promotes use of information and communication
technologies (ICT) through a regulatory framework designed to promote competition among
ICT businesses, but no special programs encourage such businesses directly. 19 Personal Internet
use appears to be essentially unrestricted by current law and regulation. Despite an erroneous
press release listing Venezuela among countries
with Internet censorship, 20 the U.S. State
Department Report on Human Rights in
Venezuela states that “there were no government
restrictions on the Internet or academic freedom.” 21 Individual reports of suspected filtering
are not backed by substantial evidence.
22
Fear of Internet regulation stems from
broader Venezuelan law restricting freedom of
press and speech. The Social Responsibility Law
opens citizens to punishment for disrespecting
authority and endangering children with improper content; these laws have led to censorship in
the general news media. 23 President Chávez’s
announcement on January 8, 2007, of re-nationalization plans for CANTV has heightened fears
of expanded regulation and content restrictions
as the government assumes more control of
Internet media. 24 A recent article notes that
CANTV has held 83 percent of the Internet market since the market’s privatization, 25 so any
changes in filtering through a nationalized
CANTV will have a strong impact on Internet
users.
ONI testing results
Tests of Internet censorship were carried out in
late 2006 on the two major ISPs in Venezuela.
The testing covered a wide range of potentially
sensitive content, including sites dedicated to
political opposition, freedom of expression, and
anti-Chávez media, as well as sites centered on
controversial social issues such as minority religions, indigenous peoples, gambling, and
pornography. This assessment turned up no evidence of filtering.
Conclusion
Despite fears to the contrary, ONI results give no
indication of Internet censorship. The nationalization of CANTV and past censorship of different
media are causes for concern about future filtering. However, current evidence indicates that
Venezuelan Internet access is restricted only by
initial socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic
barriers to entry and not by any subsequent
restraints on content once users are online.
NOTES
1. Human Rights Watch, World Report 2007:
Venezuela, http://hrw.org/englishwr2k7/docs/
2007/01/11/venezu14888.htm.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid; Reporters Without Borders, Venezuela: Annual
Report 2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?
id_article=20544&Valider=OK.
4. Human Rights Watch, World Report 2007:
Venezuela, http://hrw.org/englishwr2k7/docs/2007/
01/11/venezu14888.htm.
5. Cámara Venezolana de Comercio Electronico –
Tendencias Digitales, http://www.cnti.gob.ve/cnti_
docmgr/sharedfiles/indicadores.penetracion.Internet.
vzla.pdf.
6. TILAN at the University of Texas’s Latin American
Network Information Center, http://lanic.utexas.edu/
project/tilan/countries/ven/.
418
Country Summaries
public education does not incorporate Internet
technologies. 14
In 2000, Venezuela had approximately 240
dot-com businesses, mostly business-to-business rather than business-to-consumer. 15 The
government has been attempting to automate its
processes and put its agencies and services
online, assisted by a newly created agency for
information technology, 16 but these attempts
have not been consistent or thorough.
17
Legal and regulatory frameworks
Venezuelan President Chávez has decreed the
promotion of Internet use as essential to development. 18 Correspondingly, the government promotes use of information and communication
technologies (ICT) through a regulatory framework designed to promote competition among
ICT businesses, but no special programs encourage such businesses directly. 19 Personal Internet
use appears to be essentially unrestricted by current law and regulation. Despite an erroneous
press release listing Venezuela among countries
with Internet censorship, 20 the U.S. State
Department Report on Human Rights in
Venezuela states that “there were no government
restrictions on the Internet or academic freedom.” 21 Individual reports of suspected filtering
are not backed by substantial evidence.
22
Fear of Internet regulation stems from
broader Venezuelan law restricting freedom of
press and speech. The Social Responsibility Law
opens citizens to punishment for disrespecting
authority and endangering children with improper content; these laws have led to censorship in
the general news media. 23 President Chávez’s
announcement on January 8, 2007, of re-nationalization plans for CANTV has heightened fears
of expanded regulation and content restrictions
as the government assumes more control of
Internet media. 24 A recent article notes that
CANTV has held 83 percent of the Internet market since the market’s privatization, 25 so any
changes in filtering through a nationalized
CANTV will have a strong impact on Internet
users.
ONI testing results
Tests of Internet censorship were carried out in
late 2006 on the two major ISPs in Venezuela.
The testing covered a wide range of potentially
sensitive content, including sites dedicated to
political opposition, freedom of expression, and
anti-Chávez media, as well as sites centered on
controversial social issues such as minority religions, indigenous peoples, gambling, and
pornography. This assessment turned up no evidence of filtering.
Conclusion
Despite fears to the contrary, ONI results give no
indication of Internet censorship. The nationalization of CANTV and past censorship of different
media are causes for concern about future filtering. However, current evidence indicates that
Venezuelan Internet access is restricted only by
initial socioeconomic, cultural, and geographic
barriers to entry and not by any subsequent
restraints on content once users are online.
NOTES
1. Human Rights Watch, World Report 2007:
Venezuela, http://hrw.org/englishwr2k7/docs/
2007/01/11/venezu14888.htm.
2. Ibid.
3. Ibid; Reporters Without Borders, Venezuela: Annual
Report 2007, http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?
id_article=20544&Valider=OK.
4. Human Rights Watch, World Report 2007:
Venezuela, http://hrw.org/englishwr2k7/docs/2007/
01/11/venezu14888.htm.
5. Cámara Venezolana de Comercio Electronico –
Tendencias Digitales, http://www.cnti.gob.ve/cnti_
docmgr/sharedfiles/indicadores.penetracion.Internet.
vzla.pdf.
6. TILAN at the University of Texas’s Latin American
Network Information Center, http://lanic.utexas.edu/
project/tilan/countries/ven/.
418
Country Summaries