- Direct access to the X platform returns in various regions of Venezuela.
- The opening coincides with the national emergency due to the double earthquake of magnitude 7,5.
- International organizations and users report reduced connectivity but no outages.
- Local operators have facilitated communications to help in the rescue efforts.
To the surprise of many, early Thursday morning brought an unexpected development to the Venezuelan digital landscape. After nearly two years of constant restrictions, the social network X, which we all still call Twitter out of habit, is back online. without the need to use unlocking tools like the popular VPNs. Although there's still no official document on the table, the truth is that users of operators like Cantv or Movistar are already sharing messages directly from their homes.
This sudden change has coincided with a rather critical moment for the Caribbean country, which has experienced several hours of genuine fear. Last Wednesday, June 24, a double seismic event with magnitudes of 7,5 and 7,2 struck. It shook a large part of the national territory. with just seconds between the two tremors. The urgency of the situation, with thousands of families desperately trying to locate their loved ones, seems to have been the trigger for the sudden and complete relaxation of digital barriers.
The return of Elon Musk's social network
The online buzz was immediate, with social media walls quickly filling up with testimonials confirming that Elon Musk's platform... It is once again accessible from various points of Venezuelan geography. Operators like Digitel and ThunderNet have been identified by internet users as some of the first to allow data traffic to the social network without restrictions. However, digital rights experts recommend caution, as it is unknown whether this is a technical error due to server damage or a deliberate decision.
Although there is no official confirmation from Conatel, the telecommunications regulatory body, the reality is that people are taking advantage of the situation to find out more. It is rumored that this movement aims to... to alleviate the lack of official information During the emergency, allowing citizens to use alternative channels. It's quite a situation, really, since it took a catastrophe of this magnitude for such a relevant media outlet to become available to everyone again without resorting to computer tricks.
The impact of the earthquake on telecommunications
The situation on the ground is quite complicated because the earthquakes, located near the Yumare area and with a major impact on La Guaira, have left a trail of damage to electrical infrastructure and telecommunications. According to reports from monitoring organizations like NetBlocks, the country's overall connectivity plummeted to between 59% and 66% of its usual capacity. It is precisely in these chaotic moments that the flow of information becomes vital for coordinating rescue efforts.
As if that weren't enough, civil society has organized itself against the clock, launching digital tools such as the independent website Venezuela Te Busca, which allows users to track the whereabouts of missing persons in the hardest-hit areas. Given the magnitude of the tragedy, even the UN International Mission has stepped up. requesting that censorship be lifted definitively. After all, when the earth shakes, the last thing people need is to encounter a digital wall preventing them from asking for help or reassuring a loved one.
A respite after two years of digital censorship
To understand why this is front-page news, we have to go back to August 2024, when access to X was restricted by government order Following the elections that summer, accessing the social network became a true ordeal, requiring the use of private tunnels to bypass the state block. Now, the platform's release, even if due to a tragic event like an earthquake, brings relief to journalists who They had been denouncing the isolation for months. communication crisis that the country was experiencing.
In the absence of a statement clarifying whether this is permanent, mobile phone companies have also done their part. Enabling free calls and messages During the first 48 hours of the crisis, it became clear that free internet access is no longer just a matter of leisure or seeing what's happening in the world, but a fundamental resource for survival in emergencies. The flow of real-time videos is allowing the entire world to witness the devastation, facilitating the organization of humanitarian aid much more quickly.
This whole situation makes it clear that technology and connectivity are fundamental pillars when a disaster of this magnitude occurs. The ability to resume using X without hindrance has greatly facilitated that emergency aid and alerts reach those who need it most, breaking an information blackout that had lasted far too long. While the country recovers from the shock of the earthquakes and the material damage is assessed, it remains to be seen whether this opening is permanent or if, once the storm has passed, the digital walls that separate citizens from the rest of the world will rise again.