Instituting a Cuban Internet Task Force "to examine the technological challenges and opportunities for expanding internet access in Cuba"

(Estados Unidos mantiene a internet y las redes sociales como un campo de batalla contra Cuba. Foto: Tomada de Internet; Pix Granma)

The U.S. State Department has created a Cuban Internet Task Force.  

As directed in the June 16, 2017 National Security Presidential Memorandum “Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba,” the Department of State is convening a Cuba Internet Task Force composed of U.S. government and non-governmental representatives to promote the free and unregulated flow of information in Cuba. The task force will examine the technological challenges and opportunities for expanding internet access and independent media in Cuba.

The first open meeting is scheduled for 7 February2018 in Washington D.C., at the Harry S. Truman Building. Information for those wishing to attend will be provided in a Federal Registry Notice.

For the Americans, this is not just an initiative in line with the resetting of U.S.-Cuban relations initiated by President Trump--it also preserved an important vestige of President Obama's program for opening relations tied to greater internet access for all Cubans and the encouragement of open cyberspace. (For discussion of the internet directive see Implementing the "New" Cuba Policy: Considering the "National Security Presidential Memorandum on Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba"). The policy speaks to amplifying "efforts to support the Cuban people through the expansion of internet services, free press, free enterprise, free association, and lawful travel. " (“Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba,” §2(d)). More specifically, §3(i) of the Policy directs  that:

(i) The Secretary of State shall convene a task force, composed of relevant departments and agencies, including the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, and appropriate non-governmental organizations and private-sector entities, to examine the technological challenges and opportunities for expanding internet access in Cuba, including through Federal Government support of programs and activities that encourage freedom of expression through independent media and internet freedom so that the Cuban people can enjoy the free and unregulated flow of information.

For the Cubans, this is another indication of the continued importance of an American project to destabilize the Cuban government as currently constituted (and thus the picture above as part of Cuban Communist Party Press coverage of the Cuban Internet Task Force). Cubans see this initiative as a successor to the projection of U.S. views through Radio Martí. They are particularly challenged by a  policy that deliberately seeks to avoid interactions with the state and reach the Cuban people directly.   

Reporing from Reuters and the reporting (in Spanish) from the Cuban Communist press organ) is included.

U.S. State Department creates Cuba Internet Task Force

HAVANA (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department said on Tuesday that it had created a Cuba Internet Task Force to promote “the free and unregulated flow of information” on the Communist-run island, an action denounced by Cuban state media as subversive.

“The task force will examine the technological challenges and opportunities for expanding internet access and independent media in Cuba,” the agency said in a statement. It said the task force of U.S. government and non-governmental representatives would meet for the first time on Feb. 7Cuban Communist Party newspaper Granma said it was “destined to subvert Cuba’s internal order.”

“In the past, Washington has used phrases like ‘working for freedom of expression’ and ‘expanding access to internet in Cuba’ to cover up destabilizing plans,” Granma wrote, adding that some 40 percent of Cubans connected to the internet in 2017, 37 percent more than in 2010

Some analysts said the creation of the task force seemed counterproductive.

“By casting the issue of internet access in an explicitly political frame, it will only create greater obstacles for those U.S. telecom companies that have made inroads toward partnerships with the Cuban side,” said Michael Bustamante, an assistant professor of Latin American history at Florida International University.

“Measures like these strengthen the hand of those in Cuba for whom the prospect (and reality) of external meddling justifies maximum caution with respect to internal reform.”

Cuba has created public Wi-Fi hotspots and hooked up more homes to the internet, but most Cubans cannot get access on cellphones and only a tiny share of homes has broadband access.

The $1.50 hourly tariff for using a Wi-Fi hotspot in Cuba represents 5 percent of the average monthly state salary of $30.

Havana has said it has been slow to develop network infrastructure because of high costs, attributed partly to the U.S. trade embargo. Critics have said the government fears losing control.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama made improved internet access a central part of his efforts to normalize relations with Cuba. Telecommunications equipment and services were among the first exemptions to the embargo after Washington and Havana said in 2014 that they would restore diplomatic relations.

Google signed an agreement with Cuba in 2016 granting internet users there quicker access to its branded content.

Cuba has balked at allowing U.S. companies to participate in wiring the country. (Reporting by Sarah Marsh; Editing by Michael Perry)

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Estados Unidos retoma políticas fracasadas hacia Cuba

La creación de una «Fuerza de Tarea en Internet» contra Cuba sigue la ruta de otros programas subversivos como ZunZuneo, Piramideo y Commotion


Autor: Sergio Alejandro Gómez | internet@granma.cu

23 de enero de 2018 23:01:28



Si la administración del presidente Donald Trump pretende usar nuevas tecnologías para imponer cambios en el ordenamiento interno de Cuba, escogió caminos muy viejos que ya demostraron en el pasado su inoperancia e inefectividad, sin mencionar el hecho obvio de que violan las leyes del país afectado e incluso las de Estados Unidos.

La creación de una Fuerza de Tarea en Internet contra Cuba, anunciada ayer por el Departamento de Estado, abre las puertas al regreso a una política fracasada de la Guerra Fría que ambos países habían intentado superar a partir del 17 de diciembre del 2014.

Es la continuación del desatinado y mal asesorado discurso del mandatario en Miami, el 16 de junio del año pasado, cuando se reunió con una selección de la ultraderecha de origen cubano para anunciar con bombo y platillo su cambio de política hacia Cuba, que en pocas palabras se podría resumir como más bloqueo económico y menos viajes entre los dos países.

El terreno escogido para la nueva agresión, internet, demuestra a las claras cuáles son los verdaderos objetivos de Washington cuando reclama «libre acceso» a la red de redes en los países que se le oponen, mientras en su territorio mantiene un megasistema de rastreo y acumulación de datos sobre lo que hacen sus ciudadanos en la web.

De igual manera, a comienzos de enero, el Congreso de Estados Unidos avanzó un proyecto de ley para quitar las pocas restricciones que existían para el espionaje internacional, el mismo que quedó en evidencia tras las filtraciones del excontratista de la NSA, Edward Snowden.

De la llamada «Primavera Árabe», ya caída en el olvido, a planes más recientes como la incentivación de protestas en Irán y el apoyo a los sectores violentos en Venezuela, Washington muestra un claro patrón del uso de las redes sociales e internet con objetivos geopolíticos y de dominación.

Todo forma parte de una doctrina de Guerra No Convencional pensada para desestabilizar naciones sin el uso directo de fuerzas militares, que se ha arraigado tras los fracasos en los conflictos de Irak y Afganistán.

La activación de la nueva «fuerza de tarea» evidencia también que no hay falta de liquidez, en un gobierno paralizado y sin fondos, cuando se trata de financiar proyectos subversivos contra Cuba. Tampoco carecen de lugares de donde sacar el dinero a pesar de que el presupuesto presentado por el presidente Trump al Congreso para el 2018 elimina la partida tradicional y pública de 20 millones de dólares anuales que se venía aprobando desde hacía varias décadas para las agresiones.

La facilidad para crear nuevos organismos, con funcionarios «gubernamentales y no gubernamentales», contrasta también con la drástica reducción del personal diplomático de Washington en La Habana, que ha supuesto la paralización de la emisión de visados y una afectación directa a los servicios que recibían los cubanos y sus familiares en Estados Unidos.

Los nuevos planes de Trump no toman por sorpresa a Cuba, que acumula más de medio siglo de experiencia en el enfrentamiento a programas de agresión de toda clase.

Proyectos recientes como ZunZuneo, Piramideo, Commotion y otros, chocaron contra la capacidad de las autoridades cubanas de detectarlos y la unidad de su población ante las agresiones.

Llegan, además, en un momento en que se dan pasos claros hacia la informatización de la sociedad, con una
visión que prioriza el acceso social y busca proteger la soberanía del país, a pesar de las limitaciones económicas.

Tras la apertura de más de 500 puntos a lo largo de la Isla para el acceso público a internet, sin restricciones que no sean las que impone el bloqueo y los motivos de Seguridad Nacional, el país se apresta a la entrada en funcionamiento del servicio de internet en los móviles –con más de cuatro millones de ellos activados en la red– y a la ampliación de la conexión desde los hogares.

Si lo que pretende la administración Trump es exclusivamente garantizar el acceso de los cubanos a internet, bien podría eliminar las restricciones del bloqueo que impiden la compra de tecnología de punta en este sector u ofrecer facilidades para su adquisición. Quizá le salga más barato que una «fuerza de tarea» que está, desde un inicio, condenada al fracaso.



PROYECTOS SUBVERSIVOS CONTRA CUBA CENTRADOS EN LAS NUEVAS TECNOLOGÍAS

- ZunZuneo: Financiado por la Agencia Internacional de Estados Unidos para el Desarrollo (Usaid), su objetivo era lanzar una red de mensajería que pudiera llegar a cientos de miles de cubanos usando «contenido no controversial»: noticias de fútbol, música, parte del clima y publicidad. Cuando lograran su meta enviarían mensajes de contenido político para incitar a los cubanos a crear convocatorias en red y concentraciones masivas para desestabilizar el país.

- Piramideo: Similar a ZunZuneo, este programa estaba a cargo de la Oficina de Transmisiones a Cuba (OCB), a la que se supeditan Radio y TV Martí. El mismo promovía la creación de una red de «amigos», ofreciéndoles la posibilidad de que una persona enviara a los miembros de su «pirámide» un SMS masivo por el valor de un solo mensaje. El objetivo último era contar con una plataforma para la subversión.

- Conmmotion: Fue una herramienta desarrollada por el Instituto de Tecnología Abierta (OTI) de la New America Foundation, con sede en Washington, originalmente para uso militar, y que consiste en la creación de redes inalámbricas independientes. Aunque no se conoce su entrada en funcionamiento en Cuba, fuentes del Gobierno de Estados Unidos aseguraron al periódico The New York Times que se habían dedicado fondos millonarios con ese fin.

- Operación Surf: Desenmascarado por el agente Raúl de la Seguridad del Estado, Dalexi González Madruga, este programa consistía en la entrada de equipamientos y software para la instalación de antenas ilegales para el acceso ilegal a internet.

United States returns to failed Cuba policiesThe creation of an "Internet Task Force" to undermine Cuba is one more subversive program using new technologies, along the lines of ZunZuneo, Piramideo, and Conmotion
Author: Sergio Alejandro Gómez | internet@granma.cu

january 26, 2018 16:01:08

If the Trump administration presumes to use new technologies to impose changes on Cuba's internal order, it has chosen a very timeworn route, one that has been inoperative and ineffective in the past - not to mention that it violates the laws of the country involved, and even those of the United States.



The creation of an Internet Task Force focused on Cuba, announced by the State Department January 23, opens the doors for the continuation of a failed Cold War policy, which the two countries had stated their intention to change on December 17, 2014.

This move comes in the wake of the mistaken, poorly-advised speech given by the President in Miami, this past June 16, when he met with a group from the far-right of Cuban origin, to announce with much pomp and circumstance his changes to the country's policy toward Cuba, which can be summarized, in a few words, as more blockade and less travel between the two countries.

The battlefield chosen for this latest aggression, the internet, shows clearly Washington's true objectives when references are made to "free access" in countries it opposes, while in U.S. territory a mega-system is maintained to scan and gather data about what citizens are doing on the net.

Likewise, at the beginning of January, the U.S. Congress advanced a bill to remove the few restrictions that exist on international cyber-espionage, the extent of which was made evident by the leaks of former National Security Agency employee, Edward Snowden.

From the so-called Arab Spring - already lost in oblivion - to more recent plans like the promoting of protests in Iran and support to the violent opposition in Venezuela, Washington has shown a clear pattern of how it uses social networks and the internet for its hegemonic geopolitical purposes.

This is all part of the non-conventional war strategy developed to destabilize nations without the direct use of military force, increasingly deployed since the fiascos in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The activation of this new "task force" also demonstrates that, despite facing a government shutdown, there is no lack of liquidity when it comes to financing subversive projects in Cuba. There are plenty of places to find money, even though the Trump administration's budget presented to Congress for 2018 eliminates the customary 20 million dollars allocated for decades, to carry out such aggression.

The facility with which new bodies are staffed, with "government and non-government" personnel, contrasts sharply with the dramatic reduction of U.S. diplomats assigned to the embassy in Havana, which has practically paralyzed the issuing of visas and impacted services provided Cubans and their families in the United States.

Trump's new plans did not take Cuba by surprise, since the country has more than 50 years of experience in confronting all kinds of U.S. aggression.

Recent projects like ZunZuneo, Piramideo, Commotion and others run up against both the capacity of Cuban authorities to detect them and the Cuban population's unity in the face of such attacks.

They come at a time, moreover, when steps are being taken to advance in the digitalization of society, with a vision that prioritizes public access to the internet and protection of the country's sovereignty, despite economic limitations.

Since the opening of more than 500 wifi hotspots across the island to provide internet access, without restrictions beyond those created by the blockade and the needs of national security, the country is moving forward with internet service on cell phones - with more than four million in use - and expansion of home connections.

If the Trump administration is only interested in guaranteeing Cubans access to the internet, they could eliminate the blockade restrictions that hamper purchases of advanced telecommunications technologies and provide credit for their acquisition. This would perhaps be less expensive than a "task force" that is, from the start, condemned to failure.

SUBVERSIVE PROJECTS BASED ON NEW TECHNOLOGIES

- ZunZuneo: Financed by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with the objective of launching a messaging system that could reach hundreds of thousands of Cubans using "non-controversial" content, like sports news, music, weather reports, and announcements. When they had won over a following, the plan was to begin sending political messages inciting Cubans to make appeals on the network for massive demonstrations to destabilize the country.

- Piramideo: Similar to ZunZuneo, this program was undertaken by the Office of Cuba Broadcasting (OCB), responsible for the infamous Radio and TV Martí. The plan was to create a network of "friends" that would offer the possibility of sending a massive message to members of a "pyramid" at the cost of a single SMS. The objective was to prepare a platform for subversion.

- Conmotion: A tool to create independent create wireless networks, developed by the New America Foundation's Open Technology Institute (OTI), with headquarters in Washington, originally intended for military use. Although no information on its functioning in Cuba is known, government sources told the New York Times that millions of dollars had been dedicated to an effort toward that end.

- Operation Surf: Unmasked by State Security agent Raúl - Dalexi González Madruga - this program involved the smuggling of equipment and software into the country to install illegal antennas to access the internet.