Reprinted from Caribbean Net News
caribbeannetnews.com

Media watchdog criticises Cuba for controlling Web
10-20-2006

PARIS, France (Reuters): A press freedom watchdog accused Cuba on Thursday of trying to prevent people from reading independent media, saying less than 2 percent of Cubans connect to the Web at closely monitored Internet access points.

"In a country where the media are under the government's thumb, preventing independent reports and information from circulating online has naturally become a priority," Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said in a report on Cuba.

Cuba, like China, controls access to the Internet. Direct access to the World Wide Web is generally only available to government-approved individuals, though passwords can be purchased on the black market.

"With less than 2 percent of the population online, Cuba is one of the world's most backward countries as regards Internet usage," RSF said.

"This is quite surprising in a country that boasts one of the highest levels of education in the world," it added.

Internet access points such as the 'Correos de Cuba' Internet cafes were closely monitored, RSF said, and messages seemed to be scanned for suspect keywords, such as those linked to dissidents, which trigger the shutdown of programmes.

Because of the cost, most Cubans opt for the cheaper 'national' connection, which includes government-operated email but not full Internet access, which costs 4 euros ($5.03) an hour, about a third of the average monthly wage, it said.

The Cuban government says Internet access is restricted due to limited bandwidth available. Havana blames US economic sanctions that bar Cuba from hooking up to submarine fiber optic cables and force the country to use costly satellite communications for Internet traffic.

"This may indeed explain the slowness of the Cuban Internet and the endless lines outside Internet cafes. But in no way does it justify the system of control and surveillance that has been put in place by the authorities," RSF said.

A Cuban dissident, Guillermo Farinas, went on a seven-month hunger strike this year to demand unfettered Internet access, but stopped after fellow dissidents persuaded him to give up.