The use of Peñabots, or Twitter accounts that behave like spam in order to silence dissenting activists in Mexico is extremely problematic.

Peñabots, named after the current Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, are an almost dictatorial move to instill deep pride in a country.

It seems as though everyone must agree and comply with what is presented by the Mexican government or there is an attempt to silence the opposition.

According to a Tuesday, Aug. 25 article from Borderland Beat, the spam accounts are being utilized to threaten activists and erase important hashtags used to communicate on Twitter.

The #Yamecanse ( Spanish for I am tired) hashtag became popular after 43 students went missing from a rural school in Iguala, Guerrero, a tragedy that the government is said to be linked to.

Said hashtag trended on Twitter for some time deeply criticizing the Mexican government including Peña Nieto for the poor way the tragedy was handled.

It wasn’t long before the hashtag was overrun by the spam bots that either jammed traffic or disappeared the hashtag from the trending topics on Twitter.

This is important because hashtags are a method of communication across the board for activists and a quick way to let one another know when rallies are taking place.

In an already hostile environment for dissenters, hashtags can also provide information on how to stay safe at rallies that can quickly go awry.

It is eerie how the Mexican government goes to great lengths to paint a positive picture of itself and the president.

In a time where cartel violence is prevalent and Mexican residents are disappearing without a trace everyday, it is hard to believe that the government is operating in a pristine manner.

The people want and deserve to know the answers to the many questions ranging from the disappearance of their loved ones to the censorship and ultimately the death of investigative journalists.

Peñabots will gladly redirect the public and seemingly erase this conversation from an important social media tool in a gross act of censorship.

It is enraging that the people who want to bring about a change are demonized and their efforts are being thwarted.

Historically, anyone can trace back instances where the Mexican government has tried to silence objection.

The Massacre of Tlatelolco in 1968, showed the government’s lack of tolerance for opposition when snipers in Plaza de las Tres Culturas shot at hundreds of protesters.

This new act of censorship turns into a question of what is the government trying to hide if they’re going through great lengths to redirect attention to how great of a job they’re doing.

Peñabots are more than just spam, but the symbol of an attempt to dumb down and manipulate a country that has had enough of an incompetent government.

Peñabots are invisible hands across the mouths of hundreds of Mexican people who are kicking and screaming to be heard.

As the Mexican proverb says, “They tried to bury us, but they didn’t know that we were seeds.”