by Daniela Gonzalez Spying in Venezuela is a SERIOUS threat to citizens, especially for those related to the democratic forces. In order to keep the people controlled by force under a growing crisis and with the ghost of hyperinflation stalking at a distance (again), Venezuelans have faced a threat that few other societies have defied. Surveillance as a Tool of Repression In Venezuela, the line between national security and state terrorism has blurred dangerously and practically disappeared. What was once the domain of intelligence agencies has now become a widespread apparatus of control, intimidation, and repression. Espionage technologies—many of them imported, others developed locally—are being weaponized against the population, especially in the wake of the disputed July 28th, 2024, elections. The goal is clear: to instill fear, silence dissent, and maintain authoritarian control. This article explores six key methods used to surveil and intimidate Venezuelan citizens, and offers practical strategies for digital self-defense. Call Interception: Listening to a Nation One of the most alarming revelations came from Telefónica de España, the parent company of Movistar Venezuela, which admitted that over 1.5 million phone calls had been intercepted in the country. This staggering number highlights the scale of surveillance being conducted. But Movistar is not alone. The state-owned CANTV and Movilnet, as well as the privately operated Digitel, operate without oversight from any international parent company. This lack of accountability allows for unchecked access to user data. Authorities can intercept calls, read SMS messages, and triangulate user locations with ease. These capabilities are not used to combat crime or protect citizens—they are deployed to monitor, intimidate, and punish those who dare to speak out. The infrastructure of these telecom companies has become a silent accomplice in the machinery of state terror. Official Apps: Trojan Horses in Disguise Another insidious method of surveillance is through government-endorsed applications. VenApp, promoted as a citizen service platform, collects user location and opinions under the guise of improving public services. Even more concerning is the suggestion made on national television to use WeChat, the Chinese messaging app known for its deep integration with the Chinese government. WeChat is contractually obligated to share user data with Chinese authorities, and its use in Venezuela raises serious concerns about foreign collaboration in domestic surveillance. These apps are not neutral tools—they are digital informants, feeding data into a system designed to suppress dissent. Social Media Monitoring: The Digital Dragnet Venezuela’s intelligence services have expanded their reach into social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. Through sophisticated monitoring systems, they identify and detain dissidents seemingly at random. Posts criticizing the government, sharing protest information, or even expressing frustration can trigger investigations or arrests. (Do a search about CESPPA, won’t post links to avoid being targeted) This digital dragnet has created a climate of fear online. Citizens self-censor, delete posts, and avoid political discourse. Clearly, not because they lack opinions, but because they fear the consequences of expressing them. The internet, once a space for free expression, has become another battlefield in the struggle for civil liberties. IMSI Catchers: Invisible Eyes on the Streets IMSI Catchers are surveillance devices that mimic cell towers, tricking nearby phones into connecting and revealing their data. These devices can intercept calls, read SIM card information, and pinpoint user locations. In Caracas alone, The Washington Post reported the presence of at least 33 fake antennas, strategically placed near protected zones, NGOs, and media outlets. Some IMSI Catchers are hidden in vehicles, others disguised as regular cell towers. Their presence is invisible to the average citizen, but their impact is profound. They allow authorities to track movements, intercept communications, and build profiles of individuals—all without consent or legal oversight. Cellebrite: Total Phone Extraction in Seconds Cellebrite is a powerful forensic tool that can extract the entire contents of a smartphone in seconds, without needing passwords or authentication. All it requires is physical access to the device. In Venezuela, this technology has been used at checkpoints and during arbitrary detentions to copy messages, photos, contacts, and browsing history. The use of Cellebrite bypasses legal protections and violates privacy rights. It turns every phone into a potential evidence locker, even if no crime has been committed. The mere possession of politically sensitive content can lead to harassment or imprisonment. Forced Phone Inspections: Illegal but Routine Despite being illegal, forced phone inspections have become routine at roadblocks and security checkpoints. Officers demand access to devices, scroll through messages, and search for incriminating content. Refusing to comply can result in detention or worse. These inspections are not isolated incidents—they are part of a broader strategy to intimidate and control. They send a clear message: your phone is not yours, your privacy is not guaranteed, and your silence is expected. Post-Election Crackdown: Surveillance Intensifies The fraudulent elections of July 28, 2024, marked a turning point. Surveillance efforts intensified, targeting activists, journalists, and ordinary citizens alike. The goal is not just to gather information—it is to create a climate of fear, where people hesitate to speak, move, or organize. This is state terrorism in digital form. It does not rely on bombs or bullets, but on data, algorithms, and psychological pressure. It is silent, pervasive, and deeply effective. But these are not the only methods. Infiltration in Academia: The Silent Observers The infiltration of Venezuelan universities by government-affiliated operatives has become a deeply rooted strategy of control. These individuals, posing as students and sometimes as employees (janitors, secretaries), exhibit a distinct behavioral pattern that sets them apart: they are unusually quiet, rarely participate in class discussions, and tend to leave the classroom abruptly—often just before or after politically sensitive topics are addressed. Their silence is not due to disinterest, but strategic observation. Over time, it becomes evident that these “students” are not there to learn, but to report. Professors who engage in critical analysis of the government, discuss human rights, or encourage civic debate often find themselves under scrutiny. Reports are filed against them, sometimes anonymously, leading to disciplinary actions, interrogations, or even dismissal. The academic environment, once a bastion of free thought, is now riddled with fear and mistrust. This pattern has repeated itself across multiple institutions, confirming that the infiltration is not isolated—it is systemic. Universities, traditionally centers of intellectual resistance, have been penetrated to their core. The presence of these silent informants undermines the very essence of education, turning classrooms into monitored zones where freedom of expression is not just discouraged—it is punished. Digital Self-Defense: Strategies for Survival In this hostile environment, digital self-defense is not optional—it is essential. Here are practical steps citizens can take to protect themselves: Use Secure Messaging Apps: WhatsApp and Signal offer end-to-end encryption, making it nearly impossible for third parties to intercept messages. On WhatsApp, enable two-step verification and avoid unencrypted backups. Use VPNs: Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) mask your IP address and encrypt your internet traffic, adding a layer of protection when accessing sensitive websites or communicating online. Disable Wi-Fi and Bluetooth in Sensitive Areas: Airports, military zones, and protest sites are hotspots for surveillance. Turning off wireless connections reduces the risk of being tracked or hacked. Avoid Protest Zones: While civic participation is vital, physical presence in protest areas can expose individuals to surveillance and arbitrary detention. If attending, minimize digital footprints. Practice Digital Hygiene: Regularly clear browsing history, avoid storing sensitive content on your device, and be cautious about app permissions. Use Common Sense: The final layer of protection is behavioral. Think before posting, avoid sharing personal details, and be mindful of who you communicate with and how. However, there are countermeasures you can use. Using small, concealed recording devices like this one for video, or this one with a neutral form factor that makes it really concealed, as most people won’t even know what it is. In order to search for hidden cameras you have this gadget (because these days you never know if you are being set up), and interestingly, in the illegal procedure to kidnap in her own home to a leader of the democratic forces, one of these devices was used to identify the perpetrators. This tiny camera can be installed in any place, like inside a car, house, or wherever else you may need. Many of the worst street fights back in 2014, where NGs massacred civilians, were caught on film (just check YT or some other platform) thanks to devices like these binoculars. Resistance Through Awareness Espionage in Venezuela is no longer a covert operation—it is a public policy to keep working the mechanisms of state-sponsored (and owned) narco-terrorism. It is used not to protect citizens, but to control them. The methods are sophisticated, but the goal is simple: silence dissent and maintain power. Yet, awareness is resistance. By understanding the tools of surveillance and adopting strategies to counter them, citizens can reclaim a measure of autonomy. In a country where even silence is monitored, knowledge becomes a form of rebellion. The fight for privacy is the fight for freedom. And in Venezuela, that fight is far from over. I want to make a special call to contribute to the sponsorship for our writers living in Venezuela. We are heading towards real hard times (once again), and the uncertainty is making basic goods rise every single day. There is no employment, and day after day the struggle grows. If you are willing to do so, please contact the editor or read the footnote of their articles. Thanks, and God bless. Dani About Daniela Daniela Gonzalez is a student of history at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. The post State Terrorism: Spying on Citizens appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

You Can't Make This Up: Dublin City Council Opposes Flag of Ireland

One of the most extreme engines in the world uses electric fields and a levitating glass bead.

It’s been enthusiastically adopted by the ruling party and lambasted by the opposition, no matter who those titles belonged to.

At over 6 centimeters long, it's almost 1,000 times longer than a whale's.

It's tiny, it's fluffy, and it's also in danger.

The headline on the front page of the Labor Day New York Times, “Black Women Most Affected By Trump Cuts,” was silly enough in its wokist immersion. but the online headline deck -- “In Trump’s Federal Work Force Cuts, Black Women Are Among the Hardest Hit -- President Trump has cut hundreds of thousands of jobs from the federal work force, disproportionately affecting Black employees” -- was even more amusing. It brought to mind the old joke about a hypothetical Times headline after nuclear Armageddon: "World Ends, Women & Minorities Hardest Hit." (The paper’s reputation for knee-jerk liberalism goes back decades.) White House reporter Erica Green certainly delivered on the headline’s promise of portraying black women as racist victims of the Trump administration: When President Trump started dismantling federal agencies and dismissing rank-and-file civil servants, Peggy Carr, the chief statistician at the Education Department, immediately started to make a calculation. She was the first Black person and the first woman to hold the prestigious post of commissioner of the National Center for Education Statistics. As a political appointee, she knew there was a risk of becoming a target. But her 35-year career at the department spanned a half dozen administrations, including Mr. Trump’s first term, and she had earned the respect of officials from both parties. Surely, she thought, the office tasked with tracking the achievement of the nation’s students could not fall under the president’s definition of “divisive and harmful” or “woke.” But for the first time in her career, Dr. Carr’s data points didn’t add up. On a February afternoon, a security guard showed up to her office just as she was preparing to hold a staff meeting. Fifteen minutes later, the staff watched in tears and disbelief as she was escorted out of the building. Consistent with The Times's woke style, there were many, many more instances of the word “black” being capitalized [emphasis mine]: While tens of thousands of employees have lost their jobs in Mr. Trump’s slash-and-burn approach to shrinking the federal work force, experts say the cuts disproportionately affect Black employees — and Black women in particular. Black women make up 12 percent of the federal work force, nearly double their share of the labor force overall. For generations, the federal government has served as a ladder to the middle class for Black Americans who were shut out of jobs because of discrimination. The federal government has historically offered the population more job stability, pay equity and career advancement than the private sector…. Conservatives would argue that “job stability” and “pay equity” are euphemisms for pointless, unnecessary bureaucratic jobs that overpay. But nonetheless, Green insisted "economists" believe "Black women are being hit especially hard by Mr. Trump’s policies, which are also rippling through the private sector as corporations have abandoned their diversity, equity and inclusion practices and related jobs, many of which were held by Black women." Trump lambasted DEI during his campaign, so it should be no surprise he’s following through. Green again quoted so-called "experts" to bolster her cries of racism: "Experts attribute those job losses, in large part, to Mr. Trump’s cuts to federal agencies where Black women are highly concentrated." After quoting one laid-off employee whining about “white privilege,” Green pretended the Department of Education and USAID haven’t been on the conservative cut radar for decades, their racial makeup notwithstanding: According to a New York Times tracker of Mr. Trump’s cuts, agencies where minorities and women were the majority of the work force, such as the Department of Education and U.S.A.I.D., were targeted for the largest work force reductions or complete elimination…. In his second term, Mr. Trump has been aggressive in removing high-profile leaders of color, in particular, often disparaging them as incompetent, corrupt or D.E.I. hires. Again, as he’s long demonstrated, Donald Trump is an equal opportunity insulter. Green apparently sought out the most delusional race activist sources, and they didn’t disappoint. Kelly Dermody, one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs, said that of the workers who sought legal help to challenge their dismissals, 80 percent were people of color, and the majority were Black women. “When an organization goes after really, really highly competent, singularly great, Black women — the message it sends, the terror it sends to every other professional woman, person of color, really is so profound,” she said. She came to a clear conclusion: “This is an attack on Black women — fully,” she said. Green also attacked Trump’s DEI rollback as racist in February 2025. The R-word even made the headline: “Racist Undertones Surface in Trump’s Attacks on Diversity.”  

It is bad enough that the Chinese Communist Party is staging a massive military parade on Wednesday to rewrite history and portray itself as one of the main victors of World War II as it seeks to build up its image as a global leader, but making things worse was Associated Press China reporter Ken Moritsugu’s mostly uncritical Tuesday article that helped spread the Party line. Under the headline “China’s military parade is a show of strength from a country devastated in World War II,” right away, Moritsugu helped the CCP in its revisionist project: Yang Huafeng, a 92-year-old Chinese army veteran, remembers the troops on horseback and the handful of planes that marked the founding of communist China in 1949. It was a far cry from the military might the country will display Wednesday in a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II. A Japanese invasion before and during the conflict devastated China and left millions of people dead. ‘Now you see our country’s planes ... no one dares to mess with them,’ the veteran told journalists at a war museum in the city of Shenyang. His chest covered with ribbons and medals, Yang expressed pride in his country’s rise. It was not until later that Moritsugu gave any indication that the overwhelming majority of the fighting and dying in the China Theater was done by the Nationalists, not the Communists, “The party didn’t always make such a big deal about the end of the war. The Communists only came to power four years later, and the bulk of the fighting was done by their rivals, the Nationalist government they overthrew in 1949.” That should’ve been the theme of the whole article. Not one sentence buried in paragraph eight. However, Moritsugu was just getting started, “The ruling Communist Party is trying to amplify that feeling by playing up the war anniversary with spruced-up museums, new war movies and the military parade, attended by leaders including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.” Those movies are straight historical garbage, but that aside, Moritsugu added, “To the outside world, the missiles, tanks and fighter jets at the parade will be a show of strength as China seeks to portray itself as an alternative to the American-dominated postwar era.” He further comments, “Domestically, the commemoration is an effort to show how far the country has come — and in so doing, build support for the party and its leader, President Xi Jinping. China was a major front in World War II, a fact often overlooked in accounts that focus more on the fight for Europe and U.S. naval battles in the Pacific.” In addition to only casually mentioning how it wasn’t the communists that did most of the fighting against the Japanese, this move to diminish the U.S. role in defeating Japan also means Moritsugu helped the CCP memory hole the $700 million in aid the U.S. gave China. As China seeks to beat its chest about its increasing power, Moritsugu marveled, “Xi, who came to power in 2012, has stepped up a drive to build a strong country that can no longer be bullied. His government pushed back against new U.S. tariffs this year, forcing President Donald Trump to scale them down.” Moritsugu concluded by quoting University of Tokyo China expert Shin Kawashima, ‘“China is trying to say that it was a key member leading the establishment of the postwar global order,’ he said, ‘and that it has now reached a stage where it is catching up with and overtaking the United States.’” The Chinese Communist Party is trying to take credit for something it did not earn in order to make foreign policy gains at the expense of the country that aided China 80 years ago. That is the story Moritsugu should’ve told.

Blaze News last week reported on a disturbing incident in Louisville, Kentucky, involving a grandmother who was alone on her porch in the middle of the day when her home surveillance camera captured a young male getting off his bike, walking up her driveway, and approaching her on the porch of her home.As WLKY-TV reported, the male asks 78-year-old Jan Fletcher, "Is somebody in there? I don't want to wake them. Is somebody in there?"'I want an apology for him doing it.'Fletcher responds, "Yeah. Why?"The station said the male was asking for directions to a well-known neighborhood park. But then the male got all the way onto the porch, walked behind Fletcher, and acted as though he was dusting something off her rear end.But WLKY said the male soon repeatedly and violently groped Fletcher until she was able to stop him.“I was so mad that it happened,” Fletcher recalled to the station during an on-camera interview. “I was thinking, 'What could I have done different?' But I don't know what I could have done differently.”Her granddaughter Jessica Powell-Page was understandably horrified and told WLKY that "she didn't deserve that" and that the incident was "unacceptable.”Well, Louisville Metro Police Department said police arrested a 13-year-old male Friday in connection with the incident and charged him with third-degree sexual abuse, WLKY said in a follow-up story. Police said the male doesn't live in the neighborhood where the incident occurred, the station added.Despite the disturbing encounter, Fletcher noted to WLKY in its initial report that she's lived in her neighborhood for 55 years and has felt safe — and that she's not going anywhere.“I've been asked if I'm afraid to sit here on my porch, and I’m not,” she noted to the station defiantly. “I want him to know you're not scaring me. Absolutely not. So every day that it's nice weather, I will be on my porch.”Following the arrest, Fletcher told WLKY, "I want an apology for him doing it.""I really hate that these young people are out here doing stuff. I hate it; it's sad. ... What enjoyment do they get out of doing stuff? I don't understand it," Fletcher added to the station.Louisville police told WLKY that "the elderly are often the victims of scams, harassment, and home invasion, which often start with suspicious questions at the door." Police also offered the following tips, the station said.Trust your instincts. If a person or situation makes you feel uneasy, trust your gut feeling. Acknowledge the potential threat and take action to stay safe.Take note of your surroundings. Pay attention to potential hiding spots for an attacker, such as alleys, doorways, large bushes, or between parked vans. When walking past these areas, give them a wide berth.Look for warning signs. Stay alert for suspicious behaviors, like someone following you on foot or in a vehicle. If you notice this, change directions, cross the street, or enter a business to signal that you have noticed them.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Law enforcement in the United Kingdom appears to have difficulty clamping down on imported rape gangs but is quick to make arrests for thought-crimes such as expressing a love for bacon within earshot of a future mosque, unfurling the British flag, singing gospel music in public, praying silently for aborted babies, and, in the case of Irish comedy writer Graham Linehan, criticizing trans activists.Following his trip to the United States, Linehan, the co-creator of the television program "Father Ted" and creator of "The IT Crowd," was greeted at London's Heathrow Airport by five armed police officers.'I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist.'The Metropolitan Police Service confirmed to Blaze News that Linehan was arrested by the MPS Aviation Unit on suspicion of inciting violence.The comedy writer noted on his Substack that police escorted him to a private area and told him he was "under arrest for three tweets."Linehan indicated that "in a country where pedophiles escape sentencing, where knife crime is out of control, where women are assaulted and harassed every time they gather to speak, the state had mobilized five armed officers to arrest a comedy writer" for the following tweets:an April 19 tweet where he captioned a photograph of a trans-activist protest, "A photo you can smell."a follow-up to the smelly protest tweet where he clarified for the benefit of a critic, "I hate them. Misogynists and homophobes. F**k them."an April 20 tweet where he wrote, "If a trans-identified male is in a female-only space, he is committing a violent, abusive act. Make a scene, call the cops and if all else fails, punch him in the balls.""When I first saw the cops, I actually laughed. I couldn't help myself. 'Don't tell me! You've been sent by trans activists,'" wrote Linehan. "The officers gave no reaction and this was the theme throughout most of the day. Among the rank-and-file, there was a sort of polite bafflement. Entirely professional and even kind, but most had absolutely no idea what any of this was about."The comedy writer noted that after taking a nap in a locked cell, he was hauled before an officer, who grilled him about his tweets.RELATED: Why the English flag now terrifies the regime Photo by Krisztian Elek/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images"Eventually, a nurse came to check on me and found my blood pressure was over 200 — stroke territory," wrote Linehan. "The stress of being arrested for jokes was literally threatening my life! So I was escorted to [accident and emergency], where I write this now after spending about eight hours under observation."Linehan indicated he was ultimately freed on bail on the conditions that he does not go on X and will show up to another police interview in October.The writer concluded:I was arrested at an airport like a terrorist, locked in a cell like a criminal, taken to hospital because the stress nearly killed me, and banned from speaking online — all because I made jokes that upset some psychotic crossdressers. To me, this proves one thing beyond doubt: the UK has become a country that is hostile to freedom of speech, hostile to women, and far too accommodating to the demands of violent, entitled, abusive men who have turned the police into their personal goon squad."On Monday, 1 September at 13:00hrs officers arrested a man at Heathrow Airport after he arrived on an inbound American Airlines flight," a police spokeswoman told Blaze News. "The man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of inciting violence. This is in relation to posts on X.""After being taken to police custody, officers became concerned for his health and he was taken to hospital. His condition is neither life-threatening nor life-changing," continued the spokeswoman. "He has now been bailed pending further investigation."The spokeswoman indicated the officers were armed but did not draw their weapons at any point during the arrest.This is hardly Linehan's first run-in with Britain's thought police.The BAFTA-winning comedy writer was charged with harassment and with allegedly breaking a trans-identifying man's phone in April. His trial in that case is reportedly set to begin this month.Vice President JD Vance noted earlier this year that free speech in the United Kingdom "is in retreat.""The entire collective West — our transatlantic relationship, our NATO allies, certainly the United States under the Biden administration — got a little too comfortable with censoring rather than engaging with a diverse range of opinions," Vance said during his visit to the U.K. last month. "I just don't want other countries to follow us on what I think was a very dark path under the Biden administration."Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!