- X remains blocked in Venezuela, despite claims of the ban being lifted
- The majority of Venezuelans can access the platform only by using a VPN
- Venezuela's digital rights group confirms "no meaningful changes" in 2026
Accessing X in Venezuela still necessitates the use of a VPN, despite rumors that the platform's ban was lifted following President Nicolás Maduro's capture.
The Venezuelan digital rights organization Ve Sin Filtro refuted these rumors on Wednesday, stating: "The social network X remains blocked in Venezuela since August 8, 2024, when Nicolás Maduro ordered its suspension following the presidential elections of that year."
The organization noted that most citizens can only access the platform through a virtual private network (VPN) or similar software.
The speculation may have arisen from the recent return of Venezuelan government accounts to the platform. However, Ve Sin Filtro's Director, Andres Azpurua, stated that X "continues to be blocked on the major ISPs, including the state-owned CANTV."
VPN Usage Spike Despite Restrictions
The digital rights organization confirmed that there have been no meaningful changes to internet censorship since its latest monitoring report published in November last year.
The report indicates that state control over Venezuela's internet has intensified throughout 2025. Platforms like X, Signal, YouTube, TikTok, and Telegram remain restricted, albeit sometimes intermittently.
At least 61 independent media outlets are still blocked, prompting the group to develop their own censorship-resistant newsreader app.
Venezuelan authorities have also targeted VPN usage, blocking over 20 VPN websites in January 2025. Nevertheless, Ve Sin Filtro experts confirm that most VPNs continue to function despite these disruptions.
Earlier this month, Proton VPN reported a 12,500% increase in sign-ups from Venezuela following President Maduro's capture.
If you are in Venezuela and experiencing difficulties with your VPN, consider switching to obfuscated VPN protocols in your app's settings. These protocols are designed to better evade blocks by disguising your VPN traffic as normal HTTPS traffic.