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Recent presidential elections in Venezuela that resulted in Nicolás Maduro being declared the winner with a contested 51.20% of the votes sparked a wave of outrage and protests both in Venezuela and abroad. Venezuelan citizens and the international community rose up against what many consider to be blatant fraud. Rather than de-escalating the crisis, the regime moved to intensify repression both online and on the streets.
Prior to these elections, digital repression had already pushed many Venezuelans to rely on social media and messaging apps to access independent news and to report abuses. After July 28, when citizens and the media doubled down on the use of online spaces to document what the opposition and international community consider to be the official election results, the Maduro regime adapted its approach: social networks, previously used as tools of propaganda, began to be weaponized to denounce dissident voices.
ProBox, DFRLab, and DDIA conducted a three-part investigation in which we examined how the communication apparatus and official entities used a discourse of peace as an excuse to persecute dissidents and intensify repression through methods such as “Operation TunTun” (“Operation Knock Knock”).
Chapter III: “Operation Knock Knock”, on the Hunt for Opposition Voices (July 31 – ongoing as of this publication)
On Tuesday, July 30, about 48 hours after the Venezuelan regime-backed National Electoral Council (CNE) proclaimed Maduro the winner of the July 28 presidential election, Maduro announced the National Armed Forces and the police would patrol streets and neighborhoods looking for citizens who were part of the “Comanditos” (i.e. the grassroots sympathizers of the opposition campaign), electoral witnesses, opposition party representatives and the electoral operation volunteers. Maduro termed the Comanditos “violent commando groups,” claimed they were “criminals for hire,” and announced “members would be arrested.”
Maduro’s announcement prompted “Operación Tun Tun” -(the Spanish version of the onomatopoeia “Knock Knock”, “Operation Knock Knock”)-, an slander, doxxing, and fear-mongering campaign targeting members of the opposition for harassment, persecution, and arbitrary detention.
The online campaign was primarily driven by official social media accounts affiliated with the Maduro regime (especially military forces), supporters and proxy media outlets. Of note was the role of Diosdado Cabello’s personal Instagram and the one from his TV program “Con El Mazo Dando” X accounts in leading the amplification and distribution of the hashtag #OperationTunTun on social media.
The campaign played out in nearly all social media platforms and was also detected on WhatsApp and Telegram public channels. ProBox, the Atlantic Council’s DFRLab, and the Digital Democracy Institute of the Americas (DDIA), conducted social listening in the week to follow and identified various references to Operation Knock Knock.
ProBox conducted reverse social media listening beginning on July 2, leading up to August 5, using the most frequently repeated keywords in regime-backed official discourse: peace guarantors, Operation Knock Knock, guarimberos fascistas (fascist rioters), destabilizing attempts, #guarimba, far-right, VenApp, #TunTunLlegoLaPaz (#KnockKnockPeaceCame), citizens apprehended by DGCIM, #violenciafascista (fascist violence), and VenApp criminals (using all the terms in Spanish).
A total of 1,956 mentions were identified in that period of time, with activity starting on July 3 but at a very low level. The main surge occurred between August 2 and 4, with 57.11% (1,117 mentions).
71.63% of the 1,956 mentions were found on X (1,401 mentions), followed by Facebook with 17.13% (335 mentions), Instagram with 9.05% (177 mentions), and TikTok with 2.2% (43 mentions).
“Operación Tun Tun (Operation Knock Knock)” was prominently mentioned in comments on posts by TeleSUR (pro-Maduro regime media outlet) journalist Madelein García. In an interview with presidential candidate Enrique Márquez, she inquired aggressively about his refusal to sign the certification of the election requested by the Electoral Chamber of Maduro’s loyalist Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ). In the same tweet, she also shows José Brito (also a Presidential Candidate, accused of being a regime pupet ) saying that Márquez was an “accomplice” in a supposed “insurrection.”
Some X posts using the #OperaciónTunTun (#Operation Knock Knock) hashtag went so far as to respond to opposition posts with the tag to “mark” those posting anti-government content, even attempting to mention the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), though they did not properly tag the official account.
On Saturday, August 3, ProBox registered “#TunTunLlegóLaPaz” (#KnockKnockPeaceCame) promoted by Diosdado Cabello in a special broadcast of his show “Con el Mazo Dando,” talking about “Operation KnockKnock” against “the violent, the terrorists, the haters, and the traitors.” This hashtag reached over 43,000 messages.
On YouTube, accounts linked to Maduro and his allies have been suspended in previous years. Diosdado Cabello’s channel, “Con El Mazo Dando,” was the latest to be suspended (on August 9th), presumably for not complying with some of YouTube’s terms of use.
DDIA identified that between July 31 and August 1, approximately 28 messages in public WhatsApp groups based in Venezuela mentioned “Operación Tun Tun (Operation Knock Knock)” at least once. The messages highlighted the possibility of reporting neighbors through VenApp. Additionally, the accompanying video labeled opponents as “fascists,” “rioters,” and “terrorists.”
Proxy media echo the narrative that “justifies” human rights violations
A DFRLab analysis conducted on YouTube, between July 28th and August 4th, collected 1,564 videos with content about the protests and the regime’s persecution campaign. The videos were uploaded by channels belonging to international and independent media, influencers, anti-Maduro individuals, while others were directly connected to the regime or at least directly supportive of Maduro.
From this set of videos, DFRLab analyzed the 15 most active channels and found that 6 were linked to or aligned with the regime. For instance, Telesur TV Videos, a channel of the multi-state TV network controlled by Maduro, published 71 of those videos and reached over 492,000 views. Five other channels aligned with Maduro, including La Iguana TV, Venezuela News, and Luigino Bracci Roa desde Venezuela, uploaded a total of 69 videos accumulating almost 1.9 million views. Independent news channels like Spain’s EL PAÍS and YouTube-only Negocios TV also appear on the list of 15 channels, however, their videos present neutral news about the repression and protests rather than content promoting doxxing and harassment against opposition sympathizers.
The chart shows the channels that uploaded the most videos on the topics of “Operation Knock Knock” and “VenApp” between July 28 and August 4 and the views they received during that period. Source: DFRLab with information from YouTube Data Tools.
Channels that support Maduro published videos amplifying the regime’s narratives. These videos claimed that the protests were part of a destabilization strategy and a coup devised by “the global far-right” along with opposition leaders. These channels omitted the international community’s concerns about the lack of transparency in the election results. Pro-regime channels also shared videos from Venezuelan government-run broadcast television featuring Maduro’s speeches, stigmatizing protesters and labeling them as terrorists and fascists.
The “Operation Knock Knock” was widely spread on social media and broadcast on television channels like Venezolana de Televisión (VTV). Proxy fringe outlets also distributed this content, a typical amplification strategy in the Venezuelan regime toolkit.
ProBox found TikTok accounts such as “NotiYaraDigitalOficial,” a “news chanel” with over 266,300 followers, engaged in amplifying the regime terror campaign. This TikTok account heralded the arrival of Operation Knock Knock to the Yaracuy state and threatened opposition activists with doxxing.
ProBox examined post publications of two Venezuelan media outlets with significant reach to complement our findings, TV channel Globovisión and national newspaper Últimas Noticias. Both controlled by private oligarchs very close to the government, which have also previously published state propaganda, disinformation and even direct attacks on opposition leaders, supporting the official narratives regarding the criminalization of protesters, civil society and the opposition.
Globovisión posted on its Instagram account, which has over 3,300,000 followers, quoting Maduro as saying the number of “fascist commandos arrested has risen to 2,400.“ Likewise, Últimas Noticias, with over 5,000,000 followers on its X account, echoed this sentiment, calling for “an iron fist against violence and hate crimes.”
However, there were also some independent media that replicated these official narratives, almost in the same way as the proxies did.
On Instagram, the accounts of El Informador, with more than 552,000 followers, Diario El Oriental de Monagas, with more than 175,000 followers, and Diario La Verdad de Zulia, with more than 400,000 followers, posted content promoting the Maduro regime’s narrative. These accounts claimed that the more than 1,000 citizens arrested between July 29 and July 31 were “criminals,” detained “for participating in violent actions and “incitement to hatred.”
Regime-backed doxxing: old tactics, new platforms
Doxxing is the practice of collecting and revealing an individual personal information without their consent, often with the intent to harass, threaten, or harm them. This can include details such as names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, job information, and any other private data that can be used to compromise the person’s safety or privacy.
Operation Knock Knock is, in a way, a massive doxxing campaign, sponsored by the Venezuelan regime. Creating content that mocked and exposed citizens who had criticized Maduro online or took part in protests. These posts depicted how the detainees were made to record videos “apologizing” and stating that they had been “manipulated.” The videos frequently included the hashtags #ComanditosDelTerror (#LittleTerroristCommands) and #ElPuebloQuiereJusticia (#The People Want Justice).
As part of the operation Knock Knock campaign, that has been promoted mainly by Diosdado Cabello (recently appointed Minister of Interior, Justice and Peace) from his personal Instagram account and the accounts of his program “Con el Mazo Dando” account as well as military and police agencies. They utilized clips or audio from horror movies such as “Saw” and “Chucky” to instill fear in the general population.
The General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN), and the Directorate of Strategic and Tactical Action (DAET) are security corps that have been denounced by multiple human rights organizations as the main repressive arms of the Maduro regime. These forces are being investigated by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. In addition, the United Nations Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela has pointed them out for being responsible for arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances, and torture, including sexual violence and gender-based violence.
On August 2, the DGCIM announced on its Instagram account the opening of a hotline for reporting citizens who were part of the opposition grassroots. Although the post was later deleted for violating Meta policies, it raised alarms among journalists and human rights defenders about the implementation of snitching channels using messaging platforms like WhatsApp to make anonymous reports, leading to the persecution of protesters and critics of the regime.
TikTok accounts linked to the National Bolivarian Guard and local United Socialist Party accounts shared similar videos, all featuring the phrase: “Operation Knock knock. No weeping.”
Several TikTok accounts, including one associated with the Strategic and Tactical Actions Directorate (DAET) of the Bolivarian National Police, posted videos with messages like “DAET Venezuela without truce” and “Operation Knock Knock.” The DAET Cojedes state official account also shared information about Operation Knock Knock. They used the phrase “sin lloradera,” or “no weeping” to imply that when the police target members of the opposition, no amount of resistance will make a difference. As of August 15, this particular video had over 1.9 million views, 38,500 likes, 3,484 comments, 3,225 saves, and 10,100 shares.
Between July 29 and August 19, ProBox registered at least 128 accounts on X doxxing in the recent repressive Venezuelan context. And, although X was the platform where more content of this type was identified, 11 accounts on TikTok, 4 on Instagram and 2 on Facebook also stand out.
On TikTok, DRFLab also found an image shared from the Division Against Drugs of the Bolivarian National Police’s account, announcing ” Knock Knock The Peace Came” with an image of Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in the campaign.
The @divcontradrogas account, which is no longer available, shared a photo on TikTok amplifying Operation Knock Knock . Source: TikTok.
The account @divcontradrogas published 24 posts sharing photos with “wanted” notices and videos of supposed protesters self-incriminating. The posts appeared between July 28 and August 9 and gathered almost 284,000 views by August 15.
DFRLab identified that 17 other videos promoted persecution and showed supposed detainees. These videos were published on the Bolivarian National Armed Forces’ account (tvfanb) and accounts that usually amplify pro-Maduro content, such as @jeez_pz and @matiastwitear. The videos were viewed over 111,000 times until August 15. At least three videos showing the same content were published by users @divcontradrogas, @tvfanb, and @jeez_pz.
The same video was posted in two different posts by the @divcontradrogas and @jeez_pz accounts. The latter indicated that the person in the post was a minor. Source: TikTok.
As of August 16, the @divcontradrogas account was no longer available. Also deleted was one of the videos posted by @jeez_pz that showed the supposed confession of a detainee.
Around 40 videos from accounts of the regime security corps and other users posted videos and photos of people being detained and then self-incriminating on camera after participating in protests against Maduro. Some accounts also shared memes mocking the detainees. Other videos showed social media posts against Maduro or the regime’s agencies, followed by videos of the alleged authors being arrested.
It is important to clarify that this type of confession does not exist in the Venezuelan Organic Code of Criminal Procedure (COPP), nor is it mentioned even once. As explained in March 2024 by the NGO Access to Justice, detailing that the video recordings presented as evidence of crimes, do not comply with legal or constitutional precepts, nor are they “admission of facts” because for this to be so, it must be in the presence of a judge and in the company of his lawyer.
ProBox found out that entities identified as spreaders of disinformation in previous investigations were also exposing detained protesters on their social media. For example, Venezuela News posted videos of individuals “confessing to crimes” on its TikTok account.
DDIA also identified content on WhatsApp from July 30 to August 1 using terms like DAET and “Operation Knock Knock” (in Spanish, “Operacion Tun Tun”) with messages exposing people being detained in various states across the country for allegedly inciting violence on social media against police and military officials.
Operation Knock Knock complements other repressive measures undertaken by the regime to silence online criticism. Over the past weeks, the Venezuelan authorities have blocked X and Signal. Maduro announced his intention to ban access to WhatsApp, Instagram, and TikTok. He also encouraged users to switch to other platforms such as VenApp, WeChat, and Telegram. These are unencrypted messaging apps with weaker data protection, making it easier for the authorities to surveil.
Outside the digital realm, this wave of repression has been one of the harshest in the history of the Chavista regime. According to the NGO Foro Penal, the regime had made 1,600 verified arrests between July 29 and as of August 22, resulting in the highest number of political prisoners in Venezuela in the 21st century. The detained include 107 adolescents, 216 women and 155 military personnel; at least 149 detainees have already been sentenced. The Capital District and the Carabobo state have the highest number of detainees.
As a protecting measure in the context of increased persecution, Venezuelan independent media have refrained from publishing content depicting the faces and identities of Venezuelan citizens, wherein they are giving statements in rallies or demonstrations. ProBox, the DFRLAB, and DDIA have also refrained from publishing links to content or imagery showcasing the faces of those detained, as this practice violates the judicial due process and has been used in different circumstances to further criminalize Venezuelans critical of the regime.
At the same time, new strategies to protect the identity of journalists, activists, and citizens through the use of AI avatars are being spearheaded through projects like “La Chama y el Pana.”, This project, coordinated by the Latin American organization Connectas, is a joint effort of more than 20 Venezuelan independent media and organizations, to keep reporting, while trying to minimize the harms of repression.
Will Operation Knock Knock and the massive arrests stop the protests?
The regime’s repression of the opposition movement in Venezuela combines hard methods (arbitrary detentions, torture and extrajudicial executions) and soft methods (such as the dissemination of frightening videos through official social media accounts or the massive annulment of passports).
The director of Laboratorio de Paz, Rafael Uzcategui, argue that since July 28 there has been a qualitative and quantitative transformation of the mechanisms of control and coercion, and with it, on the patterns of violations of human rights in Venezuela.
“I agree with the assessment of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights that this set of practices constitute State terrorism, where the dissemination of massive and generalized fear attempts to inhibit and neutralize the exercise of civil and political rights.”
Director and Founder of ProBox Mariví Marín Vázquez points out that in Venezuela the freedom of expression that all citizens are constitutionally entitled to is being directly attacked, and although this is common and has been happening for a long time before July 28, what we are seeing now is an aggravation of authoritarian practices.
“The idea is to limit, curtail, and practically annul the freedom of expression of Venezuelans, particularly that exercised through digital spaces, such as social networks and messaging platforms, which have long become a space to maintain the civic conversation and to denounce the abuses of the regime,” she says.
On the other hand, the Director of Laboratorio de Paz, noted that Operation Knock Knock will have an inhibiting effect on the massive expression of the demonstration in the public space. “We noticed that on August 28, a month after the elections, and although there were significant concentrations, the amount of demonstrators was not massive due to the fierce repression unleashed in the country”.
However, all is not lost. For both Uzcátegui and Marín Vazquez, fear exists, but the will of the citizens is greater.
“Although there has been an increase in fear, social networks are still, for most people, a place where discussion and civic debate will continue to manifest itself, as it did on July 28th. People, no matter what, will seek to continue denouncing and making visible everything that the authoritarian power tries to hide”, points out the director of ProBox.
Human Rights defender Rafael Úzcategui also believes that the indignation of the multitudes in the movement will continue to be expressed, in different ways, in the short, medium, and long term.
“In Latin America, there has been no repression that has been able to tame the rebellion and the population’s desire for change”, he emphasizes.
