Freedom on the Net 2016
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FREEDOM ON THE NET 2016 Cuba 2015 2016 Population: 11.4 million Not Not Internet Freedom Status Internet Penetration 2015 (estimated): 5-31 percent Free Free Social Media/ICT Apps Blocked: Yes Obstacles to Access (0-25) 22 21 Political/Social Content Blocked: Yes Limits on Content (0-35) 27 26 Bloggers/ICT Users Arrested: Yes Violations of User Rights (0-40) 32 32 TOTAL* (0-100) 81 79 Press Freedom 2016 Status: Not Free * 0=most free, 100=least free Key Developments: June 2015 – May 2016 • The Cuban government launched its first-ever paid public Wi-Fi hotspots in June and July 2015, promising to further expand access points in 2016. While these hotspots have be- come a popular way to access the internet, limited and expensive connections still consti- tute a major barrier (See Availability and Ease of Access). • Since the United States and Cuba officially reestablished diplomatic relations, new regula- tions have eased restrictions on U.S. telecom companies to start offering services on the island. Larger scale telecommunications initiatives however, such as a reported proposal by Google to further expand access on the island, remained unanswered by Cuban gov- ernment (See ICT Market). • Bloggers and independent journalists continued to face censorship, intimidation and ar- rests. Several removals of content on the government-sponsored blog platform, Reflejos, were reported during this period (See Content Removal and Prosecutions and Deten- tions for Online Activities). • Despite severe censorship of content deemed to be “counter-revolutionary,” Cubans have launched a number of independent web-based information sites, offering alternative dis- courses about the Cuban reality (See Media, Diversity and Content Manipulation). www.freedomonthenet.org FREEDOM CUBA ON THE NET 2016 Introduction Despite modest steps to increase internet access, Cuba remains one of the world’s most repressive environments for information and communication technologies. High prices, old infrastructure, prohibition of home connections, and extensive government regu- lation have resulted in a pronounced lack of access. The normalization of relations between Cuba and the United States and the opening of ICT trade has eliminated the Cuban government’s ability to blame low levels of internet access on the “blockade.” Even with the embargo still in place, policy changes have opened the way for U.S. telecommunications companies to start offering services to the island. Propelled by U.S. President Barack Obama’s historic visit to the island in March 2016, this shift in relations has inspired optimism among many observers, who believe it may entail an open- ing for ICTs in Cuba. Cuba has taken some tentative steps to reinforce this optimism by improving internet access on the island, but it is still just a drop in the bucket when it comes to alleviating the most draconian restric- tions on internet freedom in the Western hemisphere. Access to the high-speed internet provided by the new ALBA-1 fiber-optic cable was finally extended to citizens in late 2013 via the opening of new “navigation halls.” In a more recent move in July 2015, the government opened its first public Wi-Fi hotspots, and has been expanding them across urban centers in 2015 and 2016. However, home internet connections were still banned for the vast majority of Cubans, and even with reduced prices, public internet access points still cost US$2 per hour to use, which is equal to one-tenth of minimum monthly wages. Even for those who might be able afford the new access points, the supply of inter- net access, mostly concentrated in the capital, is grossly out of proportion with the needs of a coun- try of more than 11 million people. While the Cuban government faces increased pressure from its own citizens and the international community to expand access to the global internet, the optimism derived from normalization of relations with the U.S. and the increasing access may be premature. Many worry that the Cuban poli- cy is inspired by the example of China and that new infrastructure will not mean an end to controlled and filtered access. Despite the noteworthy emergence of several web-based information sites of- fering alternative discourses about the Cuban reality, the government has continued to exert control over the digital landscape by blocking critical independent news sites, removing certain content deemed to be “counter-revolutionary,” and arresting or harassing online writers. Obstacles to Access Penetration rates and internet speeds continue to lag behind regional averages, and access to the global internet in Cuba is extremely restricted, due to high prices and government regulation of access points. Many users are still relegated to a tightly controlled government-filtered intranet and related email service. Nevertheless, some openings have taken place over the past years, and more Cubans have gained access to the global internet or to other channels for sharing information with fellow cit- izens. Email access via mobile devices has been enabled and hundreds of state-run access points are now available, including the first paid public Wi-Fi hotspots. A thawing in U.S.-Cuban relations has fueled optimism that ICT connectivity will further improve in the coming years. www.freedomonthenet.org FREEDOM CUBA ON THE NET 2016 Availability and Ease of Access According to Cuba’s National Statistics Office, there were 3.9 million internet users in Cuba in 2015, representing 34.8 percent of the population, up from 27 percent in 2014.1 The latest data from the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) places Cuba’s internet penetration at 31 percent as of 2015, up from 28 percent in 2013 and only 14 percent in 2009.2 These numbers, however, also include users who can only access the government-controlled intranet, and experts have estimated that a much smaller percentage of Cubans have periodic access to the global internet.3 For years, most Cubans have been denied internet access or relegated to a highly filtered govern- ment-controlled intranet, which consists of a national email system, a Cuban encyclopedia, a pool of educational materials and open-access journals, Cuban websites, and foreign websites that are sup- portive of the Cuban government. The intranet can be accessed through government-run internet access centers, the offices of the state-owned Telecommunications Company of Cuba S.A. (ETECSA), or state-run cybercafes. Although most foreign websites are now available at state-run access sites, the cost of accessing non-Cuban sites remains higher. Select categories of users such as Cuban officials, doctors, or trusted journalists and intellectuals have been authorized to access a broader, but still limited, portion of the global internet or other ICT tools. Resolution 92/2003 prohibits email and other ICT service providers from granting access to individuals who are not approved by the government, and requires that they enable only domestic chat services, not international ones. Entities that violate these regulations can be penalized with suspension or revocation of their authorization to provide access.4 The government claims that all schools have computer labs, but in practice, internet access is usually prohibited for students or lim- ited to very short periods of access, certain email accounts, or supervised activities on the national intranet. In May 2015, the Minister of Higher Education announced upcoming internet access for teachers, researchers, and students at four universities on campuses and in residences, but imple- mentation remains to be seen.5 While home connections are virtually non-existent, the government has taken modest steps to en- able public access to wired and wireless internet over the last few years. According to ETECSA in September 2016, there were more than 1,000 public access points on the island, including state-run cybercafes, public Wi-Fi hotspots, and Wi-Fi at hotels and airports.6 In a recent move towards in- 1 National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI),“Tecnología de la Información y las Comunicaciones, 2015,” [Information and Communication Technology, 2015], http://bit.ly/2ct5MFj. 2 International Telecommunication Union, “Percentage of Individuals Using the Internet,” 2000-2015, accessed September 10, 2016, http://bit.ly/1cblxxY. 3 Exact estimates of the number of individuals who access the “global internet” in Cuba are hard to come by, as methodologies used to define and calculate access are often unclear. Some of the independent estimates from 2011 and 2012 put the number at around five percent. A more recent public opinion study conducted in March 2015 found that 16 percent of respondents out of 1,200 Cuban adults surveyed had access to the internet, via cyber cafes (43 percent), at work (34 percent), at school or university (22 percent), at home (21 percent), or elsewhere (8 percent). See: “International Survey of Cubans Living in Cuba,” Bendixen & Amandi International Poll for Univision Noticias/Fusion in Collaboration with The Washington Post, April 2015, http://fus.in/2czwMGg. 4 According to the resolution, “Cuban websites that offer e-mail services cannot implement the creation of e-mail (Webmail) via an automatic process for natural persons or entities that are not duly authorized.” Legislación para el Sistema Nacional de Salud, Resolución Ministerial No 92/2003, July 18, 2003, http://bit.ly/1jhSxdD. 5 Eduardo Pinto Sánchez, “Garantizarán Acceso a Internet a Estudiantes y Docentes de La Universad de Oriente,” Sierra Maestra, May 24, 2015, http://bit.ly/1Wn3j0j. 6 “Cuba supera los mil puntos públicos de acceso a Internet” [Cuba exceeds more than 1,000 public internet access points], CiberCuba, September 9, 2016, http://bit.ly/2eFOZVm. www.freedomonthenet.org FREEDOM CUBA ON THE NET 2016 creasing public access to the internet, the government launched its first paid public Wi-Fi hotspots in urban centers in June and July 2015, accessible through the government platform Nauta.7 The number of hotspots increased from 35 to 65 in 2015, with promises for some 80 more in 2016.8 These Wi-Fi hotspots have become a popular way to access the internet, despite the high cost and complaints about the quality of service.