Cuba calls “social subversion” a crime to regulate the Internet, and opponents react – 17/08/21 – World

After the biggest protests in decades, Cuba released its first cybersecurity regulations on Tuesday (17), which characterizes crimes such as social subversion, the spread of fake news on the Internet and cyberterrorism.

The measure sparked a wave of rejection among Twitter users calling for the “right to dissent.” For the director of cybersecurity at the communications ministry, Pablo Domínguez, however, the publication is the country’s first legal standard that combines “cybersecurity incidents and typifications that go beyond the limits of technology”.

The new legal framework entered into force on Tuesday, just over a month after the historic protests against the regime that rocked the country on July 11 and 12 and left one dead, dozens injured and hundreds detained. . In it, 17 cybersecurity incidents – that is, crimes – are predicted, ranging from medium to very high danger levels.

Among them, social subversion stands out to change public order and promote social indiscipline, cyberterrorism and cyber warfare. Also included are, among others, “the dissemination of false news, offensive messages, defamation having an impact on the prestige of the country”, cyberbullying, pedophilia, ICT services (information and communication technologies) illegal acts and information theft.

The mobile internet, which only reached Cuba in 2018, became the great ally of citizens’ groups and organizations to voice their demands and was vital during the protests in July, when the protests were massively replicated on the streets. networks across the island.

The rule comes into effect days after Cuba accused the US Senate of aggression for allowing Joe Biden’s government to provide Cubans with Internet access, in order to bypass a possible government digital blackout.

During the protest, the government suspended applications and connection services essential to the mobilization for five days. Biden then announced that his government was studying how it could restore interactivity.

Last Tuesday (10), the US Senate approved an amendment to create a fund to develop and deploy existing technology with the aim of bringing internet to the island. On Tuesday, however, the Cuban regime said it would not allow a parallel internet in the country.

“We are not really going to allow this interference, because it would violate not only our Constitution, but also the preamble to the Constitution of the International Telecommunication Union,” said Deputy Minister of Communications Wilfredo González.

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