Written by Sophie Bloom
As one of the least connected countries to the rest of the world in the Americas, many people wonder about Cuba’s extreme regulation of freedom and quelling of certain political opinions that is shown through their censorship of the public Internet. A black hole for information, the outside world hears little to nothing of the things that go on within the Cuban borders, and the same is true of the Cuban citizens being protected from any international news. However, some things about the state of Cuban censorship have been made obvious to us, and perhaps more factual knowledge could slowly help bring Cuba in to a better situation.
In Cuba, political activism is effectively banned. Of the 41 blocked sites found from a sample of a private network’s investigation in to Cuba’s censorship, most were linked to articles criticising the government, common human rights issues, or sites that could be linked to getting around any sort of censorship. The Cuban government has attempted to stifle any sort of extreme political opinions by containing and controlling public knowledge. Clear moral and ethical violations of basic human rights, citizens are mostly unaware of the extent of the censorship that occurs to them so regularly. Additionally, reporters find it difficult to operate in Cuba and are under constant legal threat from the government, having to tread very lightly with the things they write of and show to the rest of the world.
Essentially, the Cuban government has introduced two types of Internets since 2008. Although on the surface it may seem as though they are giving the public a choice, in reality they are manipulating their people on a national scale. One type of Internet, known as the ‘global internet’, is virtually unaffordable to the main body of citizens, leaving their only option to be the ‘intranet’ - a much cheaper but highly censored version. This perceived freedom that the public experiences is a myth created by those in power, who are instead able to control the masses in a totalitarian manner.
Before 2008, all DVDs and ownership of computers were banned. Therefore, according to this information, perhaps some could say that the Cuban government could be improving in their methods. However, what they are really attempting to achieve is a perceived ‘digitalisation’ and progression of technology in their culture, whilst simultaneously allowing socialism to thrive and governmental control to be sustained. The regulated Internet can also be used to the government’s advantage, making it possible for them to check online activity and create prejudices around people based on their political profile online.
Another way in which freedom of expression in Cuba has been abolished is a recently signed decree (no. 349); this decree states that artists are “prohibited from operating in public or private spaces without prior approval by the Ministry of Culture”. If they do not obey, the law states that any performance can be broken up and a serious fine could follow. Although Article 10 – Freedom of Expression in the Human Rights Act – signed by the UK in 1998 does identify this as a technically legal decision made by a governing body, this example is one of many showing the immense ethical violation that is being inflicted on so many oblivious people. And so, this article may not directly help in bringing any justice to Cuba for the censorship happening right now. However, hopefully it can be some insight in to the ways developing, and more oppressed countries operate compared to our own democratic and inclusive society.
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