[Witness spoke in Spanish, interpreted as follows:]
Yes, one of the techniques used by the regime is to manipulate any information that it can control directly.
Today, the way civil society and independent journalism function in Venezuela is actually one of the most robust systems in the region, which is what has enabled us to adapt quickly to these advanced repressive mechanisms with the use of various technological methods.
For example, today in Venezuela, we're using techniques like VPNs or using social networks by redownloading them, even when they've been forbidden, like X. There have also been uses of AI to keep the citizenry informed while protecting journalists' identities. This is a positive example of how, even during this terrible period of increased repression in the country, nonetheless, journalists and civil society have taken up the gauntlet and have kept the structures resilient.
The use of VenApp reached a peak in the days following July 30. Once the application was removed from most major download platforms, its use diminished greatly, but its use, nonetheless, remains seared into people's recent memories.
There is a great deal of fear that someone you know or that one of your neighbours might have seen, for example, a WhatsApp status, and that might be enough so-called evidence for the regime to call you a terrorist or a fascist, or even to arrest you.