Cuba Tightens Internet Controls in the Wake of Historic Protests
- Decree criminalizes spreading ‘fake news’ or inciting protests
- Rights advocates worry law will be used to squash dissent
Riot police walk the streets after a demonstration against the government in Havana on July 12.
Photographer: Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
A month after social media helped drive historic protests in Cuba, the communist island is tightening the screws on Internet speech, making it an offense to spread false news or make comments that damage “the prestige of the country.”
In a decree published in the official gazette Tuesday, the government outlines a broad range of cyber-offenses, including activities that cause “ethical or social harm,” such as spreading “false news stories” and sending messages that “incite protests.”