Amid the increasing tension between Caracas and Washington, President Nicolás Maduro’s government has instructed Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) employees to refrain from using the WhatsApp messaging app for work communications. This measure, aimed at “protecting the confidentiality of the State’s strategic information,” was communicated through an official memorandum dated October 14, 2025.
The document, addressed to all vice presidents and directors of the state-owned enterprise, was signed by Brigadier General Asdrúbal José Brito Hernández, Executive Director of Integral Security at PDVSA. It conveys a direct instruction from President Nicolás Maduro Moros, who mandates the substitution of WhatsApp with other platforms like Telegram or WeChat, deemed by the regime as “safer” against possible foreign interventions.
The circular warns that all sensitive or confidential communications must be conducted exclusively through official institutional channels, including corporate emails, under the supervision of security and technology departments.
Internal PDVSA sources confirmed to Venezuela Política that the measure has caused concern among employees, who fear that the ban might extend to other areas of the public sector. This directive coincides with a time of heightened regional tension, following U.S. military operations against structures linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean, some of which Washington has indicated have ties to the Venezuelan state apparatus.
The shift in internal communication policies reinforces the atmosphere of secrecy and information control within the Venezuelan public administration, which in recent months has intensified its surveillance over social media and communication devices used by its officials.
Consulted analysts argue that this decision reflects the regime’s fear of internal leaks and electronic interceptions by foreign intelligence agencies, in a context where information about PDVSA’s energy operations could have significant geopolitical and financial value.