Cuban Government Toughens Internet Restrictions

edibleplastic writes "The BBC is reporting that the Cuban government is cutting off much of its citizens' access to the internet. 'The move clamps down on the thousands of Cubans who illegally access the internet from their homes. From now on, it will not be possible to dial up the main government server from most domestic phone lines. Only lines which are paid for in dollars will have direct access. These are usually restricted to foreigners. Amnesty International says this is an attempt to shield Cubans from alternative views.'" This is a good time to revisit two earlier stories about Cuba's attitude toward modern communications.

Comments

Don't worry!

[shfted!]

Sending smoke singals with cigars is still legal!

Cuba is on the leading edge

[jptechnical]

of anti-spam measures.

what's cuba like?

[ciaran_o_riordan]

A friend of mine was in Cuba a few years ago, and he says it's a great place. A brilliant medical system which is government funded, the streets are absolutely safe at night, and the people are friendly and inviting (twice he was invited in for dinner at the houses of two families he met while there).

And then you hear about Cubans trying to get to the US on crappy rafts etc.

Maybe some want to leave because they see American TV shows or movies and they think the whole continent is safe, nice, accepting, etc. Maybe if the Cuban govt. let the population see what the rest of the world is really like, they'd be less enthusiastic to leave Cuba.

I'm not suggesting that Cuba is heaven, but from only looking at TV it would be easy for Cubans to have a romantic grass-is-much-greener vision of what the US is like.

Re:what's cuba like?

[FePe]

Maybe some want to leave because they see American TV shows or movies and they think the whole continent is safe, nice, accepting, etc. Maybe if the Cuban govt. let the population see what the rest of the world is really like, they'd be less enthusiastic to leave Cuba.

I agree. But the Internet is available in schools and workplaces, from the article:

The internet should be for the common good, it says, pointing out that it will still be available in schools and workplaces.

Then all surfing, downloading etc. will be done in the school? Or do they also keep a constant eye on the students and workers there? Restriction may be a good thing, but they are not thinking realisticly about how much the media is influencing other non-american countries.

Re:what's cuba like?

[MachDelta]

Cuba is a great place IMO. I spent two weeks there on vacation, and had a blast. The thing I liked about Cuba over, say.. Mexico (a similar experience), is that I was exposed to and absorbed a lot more of the culture and country. It was really great just to walk around a city and see people go about their daily lives. Just soak up the place.
The funny thing is though, the general vibe I got from the two weeks I spent there was that people really just didn't care. They didn't care about America, they didn't care what Castro was doing. Not that they're apathetic... I mean, it was all very relaxed. Sure, their country was communist. Who cares? They get free healthcare, free education, free food (limited, of course). Yay Castro! Yeah, he's a control freak. Big deal. They get everything they need, so whats the problem? The Cubans pretty much just live their lives, regardless of politics. I really liked that. Its kind of humbling to see when you're used to reading about a new lawsuit every three days. Honestly, we could learn a lot from their attitudes and lifestyle. :)

Re:what's cuba like?

[Anonymous Coward]

They get free healthcare, free education, free food (limited, of course). Yay Castro! Yeah, he's a control freak. Big deal. They get everything they need, so whats the problem? The Cubans pretty much just live their lives, regardless of politics.

It may be good that people are able to get basic living necessities for free, but why does a tremendously oppressive society have to go along with it? In Cuba there is no freedom of speech or the press, no freedom to move within and leave the country, no freedom of religion, no voice in government.

These are some of the most basic human rights. It doesn't matter whether people care to exercise their rights or not. They are rights, not privileges, so the option to use them should not be taken away. A government which restricts these rights is oppressive.

Re:what's cuba like?

[Nadsat]

>> The funny thing is though, the general vibe I got from the two weeks I spent there was that people really just didn't care.

That's what I would say describes the majority of Americans. Americans don't want to be bothered. The typical says I don't care about ozone, children in sweatshops making my disney t-shirts, special interest bombs going off in cities where I can't pronounce the names. Bush is cool. He wants to stop baseball players from using steroids. And I like MARS--let's go to MARS!

So, arguably, the average American, Cuban, whoever, may equally not care as their rights are taken away. I guess what marks Americans is that Americans feel they have to impose their values on others... and they have a long history of doing so. Manefist Destiny spirit.

I mean, if Fidel were to suddenly wage an all out war against a country who didn't attack Cuba because Fidel wanted better control of its resources and was afraid, wetting his pants with fear... would Cubans care then? Would they?

Re:what's cuba like?

[Pave Low]

A friend of mine was in Cuba a few years ago, and he says it's a great place.

Of course foreigners are treated great there; that's their meal ticket. Tourism and prostitution are the only real growth industries in Cuba.

A brilliant medical system which is government funded, the streets are absolutely safe at night,

This sounds exactly like the old "Mussolini made the trains run on time" excuse. This sure must make up for the lack of political and economic freedoms.

Maybe if the Cuban govt. let the population see what the rest of the world is really like they'd be less enthusiastic to leave Cuba.

Or maybe if they did, more people would demand change in Cuba and threaten Castro's 50 year iron-fisted rule.

Re:what's cuba like?

[daviddennis]

Cuba IS a great place ... to visit.

The weather's perfect. The environment's gorgeous. The fact that buildings are ready to collapse all around you is simply a frisson that makes life in Cuba more dramatic.

The people are friendly and inviting. The women are beautiful and, well, inviting.

But there's a reason they're inviting - the average salary is 200 pesos a month, which is about US$20. About half of this goes to a ration book of basic supplies. The other half can buy, well, about what $10 would bring in the US.

The housing is beautiful. It is also in disasterous shape. About 100 buildings in Central Havana collapse every year. My web page, The Fabulous Ruins of Cuba shows the heartbreaking details. All the buildings you see there are within a block or two of the ocean. They would be worth millions here in California; they're not even worth routine maintenance in Cuba.

The health service is rationed - it works well if you have connections, badly if you don't.

Cuba has enough money to buy shiny new $100,000 busses for tourists. But the busses Cubans ride are crude creations, packed to the gills with people. Cubans are not allowed in the tourist hotels, they are not allowed on the shiny tour busses, the Cuban government does its best to make sure Cubans and tourists don't mix.

Which is too bad, because the best thing about Cuba is the wonderful people who live there. I made good friends in Cuba. I thought it was a fantastic place.

But don't think the Communist government is some mildly extreme version of Canada. Policia were everywhere, and my Cuban girl was clearly scared of them. She was scared of being heard by the waiters in any resturant I visited. But she was lovely and charming and made my trip magical.

She could have gotten a three year sentence for endangering my morals, such as they were. There are accounts of tourists who get close to Cuban women and the Cuban women are then sent to jail. Nothing you can do about it.

However, to address the parent poster's point directly, Cubans are definitely influenced by American TV, specifically Univision. A few people have satellite TV, and you can see the awe in people's eyes at all the strange stuff available over on the other side. Cars! Paper towels! And Univision soap operas ... let's just say they don't reflect American reality unless you are A Jerrold Perenchio, billionnaire founder of Univision.

I thought of taking my Cuban girl back to the US eventually. But as her eyes popped open while seeing Univision, I realized she wouldn't be able to stand my relatively humble home and ancient Mercedes. She wanted it all. Maybe someday she'll get it ...

The year after my trip, Castro cracked down on dissidents and sentenced them to jail terms ranging from 18 to 28 years. I loved Cuba and really wanted to return to see my Cuban friends. But I didn't want to support Castro, so I decided, with more than a couple of tears in my eyes, not to return.

For now.

D

PS Concerning the point of the actual article, I never saw anyone with Internet (or even a computer) at home. All the Internet access I saw was Internet cafes. The government runs one in the Capitolio that I visited that Cubans can use (most of them are in tourist hotels where Cubans are not allowed). I found service friendly, but Internet access sluggish. My girl did not find the Internet easy to use, probably because she had never seen a computer before.

Why they need dollars

[Mod Me God]

They have to connect to the internetional telecoms network, and need to pay for that. The Cuban Peso is not a freely exchnged currency, telcos won't take it as payment, they need dollars, so Cuba has to get them from somewhere. The internet is not very restricted if they pay in USD. I am sure this is not the only reason, but it is a major one, perhaps Amnesty International could get off the soap box and offer to subsidise bandwidth costs if they feel so strongly... the fact is most citizens of developing countries do not have access to the internet. The Soviet Union broke up without its citizens using the internet, China has embraced capitalism not due to the internet, the Berlin Wall fell in no part due to the internet. Infact as the internet has become so wide spread it has had little value-added effect other communication didn't already have in developing countries.

Re:Why they need dollars

[Distinguished Hero]

The Soviet Union broke up without its citizens using the internet, China has embraced capitalism not due to the internet, the Berlin Wall fell in no part due to the internet. Infact as the internet has become so wide spread it has had little value-added effect other communication didn't already have in developing countries.

Just because certain events occurred without certain "amenities" in the past does not mean that those "amenities" would not have helped.
Just because some people cannot find a better use for the interned than looking at pr0n does not mean that others cannot use the internet to better their societies. While some people spend their time on Slashdot posting about what other people could live without, greater people are using the internet to attempt to bring about social change, and are getting arrested for it. If oppressive governments fear that the Internet could weaken their grip on their population enough that they are taking steps to restrict, who are you to say differently. Sure, social change can occur without the Internet, but it can occur much faster and better with it.
By the way, China has far from "embraced" capitalism.

the path to Freedom

[jmlyle]

There are two ways to free the Cuban people.

1) Declare that they have Weapons of Mass Destruction. Invade. Cause massive damage and destruction and death. Set up a puppet government. Leave. Watch as the government fails within 50 years, just like every single time we do this.

2) Stop the trade restrictions. Let captitalism eat them away from the inside. Maybe fund a show on the WB about a wacky Cuban group of friends.