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Currency Exchange Website Accused of Cyber Terrorism By Venezuelan Government (arstechnica.com)

Posted by samzenpus on from the you-keep-using-that-word dept.

braindrainbahrain writes: A U.S.-based website that covers the unofficial exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Bolivar, the Venezuelan currency, has been accused of cyber terrorism in a civil complaint. Venezuela, suffering from ever increasing inflation, maintains very tight controls on currency exchange, and accuses the website operators of racketeering and conspiracy. In an earlier speech, Venezuelan President Nicola Maduro stated he would ask the President of the United States to hunt down the operators of the DT Site and extradite them to Venezuela to be tried as criminals.

6 of 104 comments (clear)

  1. Not about the law by RogueyWon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The coverage I've seen of this today has emphasised that the Venezuelan Government's filing has essentially no chance whatsoever of success. That's undoubtedly true, but I suspect it misses the point.

    This is unlikely to be about the law, or even about an attempt to stifle the website in question. Rather, it's likely to be gesture politics aimed at a domestic audience. Maduro, like Chavez before him, keeps his political base motivated by constructing elaborate theories to show that almost the entire world (and particularly the US) is conspiring against them. The sense of victimhood and isolation this creates is a useful political tool.

    When this filing is rejected (likely at the first hurdle) it becomes another piece of "evidence" that the US is seeking to destroy Venezuela.

    1. Re:Not about the law by Kohath · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Why doesn't he just point out all the great things that socialism has done for the people? It should be easy to find an audience. These people waiting in line for food would have to listen.

    2. Re:Not about the law by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      While it certainly true that the Chavistas are exaggerating stories of US meddling, it's not as if there isn't ample precedent. The whole continent has suffered from US-backed dictatorships for many decades, so even if the current Venezuelan reaction is much overblown, I imagine it doesn't take much to convince the populace otherwise, backed by history.

    3. Re:Not about the law by Kohath · · Score: 5, Insightful

      He can't, because the U.S is working hard since the elections to wreck their economy. Do you think socialism is bad? Look in northern Europe where people can move boxes in a warehouse and still put the equivalent of $1000 in their savings account after all the bills are paid. Don't use a small country under economic siege as an argument that socialism or socialistic democracy doesn't work.

      Yeah, it's amazing how there's always an external bogeyman whenever socialism makes things worse.

      And always a story about northern European success. Northern European socialists do ok. Northern European capitalists do ok. Maybe northern Europeans just have a strong, resilient culture?

    4. Re:Not about the law by MightyMartian · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Latin America has been a disaster since the Spaniards first set foot on it. The US may not have helped, but let us be frank much of the region would be a mess US or no.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    5. Re:Not about the law by mrclevesque · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Latin America has been a disaster since the Spaniards first set foot on it. The US may not have helped"

      Not *may not have helped* but *made things worse*

      "let us be frank much of the region would be a mess US or no"

      Lets be frank about what