Twitter suspends over a dozen Venezuelan government, military accounts
Twitter Inc has suspended more than a dozen accounts associated with Venezuela’s government and military, including the OPEC nation’s oil ministry and the armed forces’ operational command.
Officials criticized the move shortly after the accounts were first suspended on Tuesday, without explanation or any announcement from Twitter. Some of the accounts initially suspended, including those of the central bank and finance ministry, were later restored.
“Alert! People of Venezuela, the oppressive government of the USA blocked the Twitter account for CEOFANB and others,” military commander Remigio Ceballos wrote on Twitter, referring to the Bolivarian Armed Forces’ Strategic Operational command.
Twitter in a statement Wednesday said the service has “proactive systems” which aim to detect “platform manipulations,” but that such systems can commit errors which account owners are welcome to appeal.