Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro called on Monday for a boycott of "WhatsApp," stating that military leaders and local officials defending his controversial re-election have received "threats" via the popular messaging app. During a rally in the capital, Caracas, Maduro said, "Say no to the WhatsApp app! I will cut ties with WhatsApp because WhatsApp is used to threaten Venezuela." He added, "Therefore, I will delete WhatsApp from my phone forever, and gradually, I will transfer my contacts to Telegram, to WeChat," urging his citizens to voluntarily, gradually, and completely abandon the app owned by the American company Meta.
The Venezuelan president continued, "Through WhatsApp, they threaten the Venezuelan military, the police, and street and community leaders." As soon as Maduro finished his speech, the Ministry of Communication transferred the WhatsApp group for foreign correspondents from the app to Telegram. Maduro had denounced on Sunday the use of social networks to promote "division" and "hatred" among Venezuelans, specifically naming Instagram and TikTok. He stated, "I accuse Instagram of being responsible for sowing hatred to divide Venezuelans, seeking to commit a massacre and divide Venezuela, and bring fascism to Venezuela."
