Campaign No. 33: Hijacking of Accounts Belonging to Venezuelan Journalists and Opposition Figures (2011–2012)
Since September 2011, the pro-government group N33 has claimed responsibility for hijacking Twitter accounts and email accounts belonging to journalists, writers, activists, and opposition figures critical of Hugo Chávez. Espacio Público documented about 30 cases in 2011 and at least 14 additional cases by mid-2012. This record is maintained as a summary of the campaign because there are more victims than those named in sufficient detail; the victims named in public sources were listed in individual records. The alleged operation, carried out from SEBIN headquarters or through state connections, is presented as an allegation or assessment based on sources, not as a confirmed forensic finding.
Overview
Missing evidence
Impact details
N33 took control of the Twitter accounts and, in some cases, the email accounts of journalists, writers, activists, and opposition figures. Sources report about 30 cases in 2011 and at least 14 more in 2012, involving insults, threats, pro-government messages, and the risk of unauthorized access to direct messages and personal data.
Classification & severity
- Category
- Intrusions
- Subtype
- social media account takeover campaign
- Confidence
- High
CPJ, AP/CBS, and other sources document a campaign involving 33 kidnappings targeting journalists, writers, activists, and opposition figures; identified victims are listed separately when there are public sources supporting their cases.
Severity assessment
Medium- Functional impact
- Degraded (non-critical)
- Information impact
- Sensitive personal data
- Affected scope
- Cross-sector
- Critical service
- None
- Public confidence
- Moderate
- Recoverability
- Regular
Takeover of accounts at the campaign level targeting journalists, activists, writers, and opposition figures, with access to private messages and personal data, and intimidating effects; without critical disruption to the service.
Timeline
N33 issues a statement, broadcast on state television, declaring that it was established to attack "irresponsible and ignorant" critics of Chávez and denying any ties to the government.
Hacking of Twitter accounts belonging to Ibéyise Pacheco, Leonardo Padrón, Berenice Gómez, and other opposition figures and journalists; the accounts posted pro-Chávez messages and insults.
Global Voices documents the hijacking of accounts belonging to opposition figures and journalists, attributed to N33.
The CPJ publishes a report detailing the attacks by N33, documentation of approximately 30 cases by Espacio Público in 2011 and approximately 14 more by mid-2012, and allegations that the operation was run from SEBIN headquarters.