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How does self-censorship become the key to online survival in Cuba?
Cuba's online environment is full of challenges. Government restrictions and monitoring of the Internet have forced many people to adopt self-censorship measures to maintain their online lives. Cuba continues to come under fire for internet freedom, with a score of 79 in 2018, placing the country fifth out of 65 ranked countries globally, behind the likes of China and Iran, according to the Freedom House report. This has made Cuba a country labeled "not free" and has continued to do so since 2009, when the reports began to be released.
Internet filtering and blocking in Cuba is not particularly extensive. However, due to limited network infrastructure, people's access to the Internet has been greatly affected.
Monitoring and self-censorship
The Avila Link software used by the Cuban government has been reported to monitor citizens' Internet usage and indirectly obtain user accounts and passwords through proxy servers. Cuban Ambassador Miguel Ramirez argued that the country has the right to "monitor the use of the Internet to prevent hacking incidents, password theft and access to negative websites of all kinds."
According to Reporters Without Borders, Cuba may have purchased some network surveillance technology from China. This surveillance has led to a process of increased self-censorship of the Cuban population’s use of online content.
Limited access to the Internet
The government requires that all material posted on the Internet be approved by the National Registry of Serial Publications, further restricting free speech online. While some foreign news sites are not blocked, slow Internet connections and outdated technology prevent Cuban users from loading them smoothly.
Even amid these challenges, Internet access is still seen as a necessity for Cuba's economic development.
Barriers to access costs
Until 2018, Internet connections in Cuba had varying prices in public Internet cafes and wireless networks. Ordinary people had to pay ranging from 0.10 CUC to 1.50 CUC per hour. For Cubans with relatively low incomes, It's a huge burden. This makes most people prefer internal "national networks" rather than the global Internet.
While the price of mobile data has decreased since 2018, internet adoption remains a challenge as most households still cannot afford expensive access.
The rise of underground online dictionary
With government restrictions on the Internet, voluntary Internet projects such as "El Paquete" and "StreetNets" have emerged in Cuba. "El Paquete" uses manual methods to deliver digital content, including music, movies, etc., to the public on a regular basis, while "StreetNets" is a privately built network-free antenna system through which users communicate without government surveillance.
User self-censorship is common in these voluntary networks, as any violation can result in a permanent ban.
Although Cuba's online environment is quite harsh, self-censorship has become a necessary strategy for many people to survive in this environment. What impact does this have on the freedom and expression rights of the Cuban people? Is it worth pondering?
