Venezuela has reportedly blocked over 20 websites from some of the top VPN providers in the country.
These online restrictions came a day after President Maduro ordered a ban on TikTok for failing to appoint a local representative.
People have actually turned to VPNs en masse as a means to keep accessing the video sharing app. Proton VPN confirmed to TechRadar a 1,600% increase in sign-ups across the country so far, in fact.
🚨EN DESARROLLO:Amanecieron bloqueados en Venezuela 🛑 Más de 30 DNS públicos como 8.8.8.8🛑 There are 20 sites on the VPN network dejando sin una connexion operationa a…9 January 2025
Today, January 9, 2024, Venezuelan digital rights group Ve Sin Filtro reported that more than 20 VPN providers’ websites have also been blocked. These include Proton VPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN and IPVanish.
A virtual private network (VPN) is security software that encrypts your internet connections while spoofing your real IP address. The latter skill is exactly what is needed to circumvent restrictions like those in place in Venezuela right now.
According to Ve Sin Filtro, Tor Browser and over 30 DNS services are also restricted.
This is not the first time the government has targeted circumvention tools to prevent citizens from circumventing online restrictions. Back in July, ahead of the presidential election, citizens complained about problems using VPN apps.
At the time, Proton VPN suggested searching for the applications directly through the AppStore or Google Play Store when using a mobile device. On the desktop, you can download the VPN via the GitHub platform by clicking the “Code” button.
TechRadar has contacted some of the companies involved to confirm this, but we are still awaiting a response at the time of writing.
21 VPN providers are affected
This is the full list of VPN sites restricted in Venezuela as we write, according to data from Ve Sin Filtro:
Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the big names not currently on this list. Jack Buckley, Privacy Advocate at PIA, has confirmed to TechRadar that both the PIA VPN app and the provider’s official website are working as normal.
He said: “Although we are not directly affected by this issue and the data is still coming in, we are seeing the impact of Venezuela’s blocking efforts. Although the full numbers are not yet available, PIA is already seeing a 270% increase in website traffic from Venezuela at this early stage.”
The TikTok ban continues
The team at Ven Sin Filtro also confirmed that the TikTok block continues in Venezuela at the time of writing.
Internet watchdog NetBlocks first reported the block from midnight on January 8, 2025, “following a pattern of daily multi-hour restrictions.”
The block comes because the popular Chinese video-sharing app failed to meet an eight-day deadline issued by Venezuela’s Supreme Court to appoint a local representative.
