After TikTok, Venezuela blocks VPN websites

Update: On January 10, 2025, we added comments from some of the VPN companies involved in the blockage.

Venezuela has reportedly blocked over 20 websites of some of the best VPN providers in the country.

These online restrictions came a day after President Maduro ordered a ban on TikTok for failing to appoint a local representative.

People have indeed been turning en masse to VPNs as a means to keep accessing the video-sharing app. Proton VPN confirmed to TechRadar a 5000% surge in sign-ups across the country so far, in fact.

On January 9, 2024, Venezuelan digital rights group Ve Sin Filtro reported that more than 20 VPN provider websites have also been blocked. These include Proton VPN, NordVPN, Surfshark, ExpressVPN, and IPVanish.

A virtual private network (VPN) is security software that encrypts your internet connections, while also spoofing your real IP address location. The latter skill is exactly what's needed to bypass restrictions like those in place in Venezuela right now.

According to Ve Sin Filtro, Tor Browser and over 30 DNS services are also restricted.

This is not the first time that the government targeted circumventing tools to prevent citizens bypass online restrictions. Back in July, ahead of the presidential elections, citizens lamented difficulties using VPN apps.

TechRadar has reached out to some of the companies involved to confirm this.

David Peterson, General Manager of Proton VPN, confirmed that the Proton VPN website has been blocked in Venezuela since before the elections. "So, we don’t see a change here, and from the recent 5000% spike in users signing up to Proton VPN from Venezuela, this does not seem to be impacting people’s ability to download and sign up to the app," he added.

If you cannot download the Proton VPN app from the website, Peterson suggests using GitHub to do so, or F-Droid if you're using Android. On mobile, you should be able to search for the app directly via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.

The company confirmed that IPVanish's website has also been blocked, but current customers in Venezuela can still log into their apps and use the service.

ExpressVPN also said its VPN app is still operating as expected in Venezuela at the time of writing. "Despite the reported blocks, we’ve already seen a significant increase in web traffic from Venezuela to ExpressVPN.com," Lauren Hendry Parsons, Digital Privacy Advocate at ExpressVPN, told TechRadar.

21 VPN providers affected

This is the full list of the VPN websites restricted in Venezuela as we write, according to data from Ve Sin Filtro:

• Betternet
• Browsec
• CyberGhost VPN
• ExpressVPN
• Hola VPN
• Hotspot Shield
• IPVanish
• iTop VPN
• NordVPN
• PandaVPN Pro
• Proton VPN
• Psiphon
• PureVPN
• Speedify
• Surfshark
• TunnelBear VPN
• Urban VPN Proxy
• VPN Brave
• VPN Super Unlimited Proxy
• Windscribe
• ZoogVPN

Private Internet Access (PIA) is one of the big names not on this list at the moment. Jack Buckley, Privacy Advocate at PIA, has confirmed to TechRadar that both the PIA VPN app and the provider's official website are working as usual.

He said: "Even though we are not directly affected by this issue and the data is still coming in, we are seeing the impact of Venezuela's blocking efforts. While the full figures are not yet available, PIA is already seeing a 270% increase in website traffic from Venezuela at this early stage."

TikTok ban continues

The team at Ven Sin Filtro also confirmed that the TikTok block continues in Venezuela at the time of writing.

Internet watchdog NetBlocks first reported the block starting from midnight of January 8, 2025, "following a pattern of daily multi-hour restrictions."

The block comes because the popular Chinese video-sharing app failed to comply with the eight-day deadline issued by Venezuela's Supreme Court to appoint a local representative.