Most social media stuck in Cuba four days after protests

Most social networks and messaging platforms remain blocked this Thursday in the mobile internet service in Cuba, four days later massive protests anti-government forces shook the country. The Netblocks Internet Observatory reported today, in a Twitter update of its report on Cuba following the protests last Sunday, that restrictions on the use of Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter have been added to the limitations on YouTube.

“Specific restrictions could limit the flow of information from Cuba after the widespread protests on Sunday in which thousands of people demonstrated against government policies and inflation. The restrictions remain this Thursday morning, ”the report said.

Internet access is possible in public Wi-Fi parks and also, although with reports of instability, in Nauta and ADSL services in homes, although few Cubans can afford a connection in their homes due to its high cost. Telecommunications in Cuba depend entirely on the state monopoly ETECSA, which two and a half years ago started offering data service on cell phones.

This service was deactivated on Sunday when protests by Cubans spread across the country., encouraged by a video in which residents of San Antonio de los Baños (30 km east of Havana) took to the streets to protest the lack of food and medicine and the blackouts, in the midst of the crisis economic and sanitary. Experts believe the regime cut the internet to prevent this from happening again, although they also consider that the measure could be counterproductive by increasing the dissatisfaction of the population with the authorities.

The connection to the Internet is for the population an escape from the difficult situation in which they live and the main channel of communication with their family. abroad. Since Wednesday, some young people have resorted to clever tricks and the help of VPN platforms to regain access to the 3G and 4G network on their devices.

“VPN services, which can bypass Internet censorship, are still effective for many users”Netblocks Notes.

International organizations and some governments and leaders condemned the Cuban government for this blackout. Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez avoided explaining explicitly at a press conference on Tuesday whether the outage of mobile internet is a decision of the Cuban regime and attributed the situation to the economic crisis that the island is going through.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Cuban-American Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar Thursday urged Joe Biden’s government to “turn on” the Internet at the US Embassy in Havana to connect Cubans and to facilitate the service of the protestors for the freedom of Cuba. During a press conference, the two Republicans asked for a “green light” from Biden to provide this service which they consider crucial to follow the demonstrations, and thus allow the denunciation of the abuses of the dictatorship of Miguel Díaz-Canel.

(With information from EFE)

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