Venezuelan government creates social networks to counter Facebook, Twitter ‘spying’

The administration of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is so concerned about social media sites that "spy on citizens" that it has created its own version of Facebook and Twitter and other commercial networks called Red Patria (“Homeland Network”). Since May, a beta version has running on the web, created by Cenditel, the section of Venezuela’s science ministry that is charged with digital innovation. “This is a computing platform make by Venezuelan innovators to ease the formation, communication and organization between social groups,” according to a press release announcing Red Patria’s creation. “It’s an alternative tool to commercial social networks – Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and others – used by governments to stock information and spy on citizens of different nations.”More…