Human rights advocate Humberto Prado’s Facebook account hacked as part of a smear campaign
In late April 2016, the personal Facebook account of Humberto Prado Sifontes, director of the Venezuelan Prison Observatory (OVP), was hacked and used to post false information and a doctored photograph (showing him with a gun and a Polar beer) accusing him of being funded by the company Empresas Polar and of being a “pran” (prison gang leader). At the same time, a smear campaign unfolded on Twitter, where alleged private emails were leaked and the hashtag #HumbertoPradoPranDePolar went viral. The incident occurred following statements Prado made to the media about the prison crisis, in which he pointed to the responsibility of then-Governor Tareck El Aissami. On April 27, 2016, Prado filed a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office. The exact date of the hack varies depending on the source (April 26 according to FIDH; April 23 according to Front Line Defenders).
Impact details
Humberto Prado’s Facebook account was used to post defamatory content and a doctored profile picture. Front Line Defenders also reports that private email exchanges have been shared on Twitter, indicating that the leak of private correspondence has been confirmed, although the source account remains unknown.
Classification & severity
- Category
- Intrusions
- Subtype
- social media account takeover and digital harassment
- Confidence
- High
Front Line Defenders and FIDH have documented unauthorized access to Humberto Prado’s Facebook account and the publication of defamatory content; private communications were also disclosed.
Severity assessment
Medium- Functional impact
- Minimal
- Information impact
- Sensitive personal data
- Affected scope
- Single user
- Critical service
- None
- Public confidence
- Limited
- Recoverability
- Regular
Selective targeting of the account and disclosure of private correspondence against a human rights defender as part of a harassment campaign.
Timeline
Humberto Prado’s personal Facebook account is hacked and used to post false information and a doctored photograph accusing him of being funded by Empresas Polar and of being a “pran.” (Front Line Defenders cites April 23; FIDH cites April 26.)
At the same time, a smear campaign using the hashtag #HumbertoPradoPranDePolar is circulating on Twitter, and alleged private emails from his account are being published.
Humberto Prado files a formal complaint with the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor's Office.
International human rights organizations (FIDH-OMCT/Observatory, Front Line Defenders, Amnesty International) document the incident and issue urgent appeals.