Protests in Cuba: social networks and messaging platforms suffer cuts by order of the regime

Social networks, such as Facebook and Instagram, and messaging platforms, such as WhatsApp or Telegram, are suffering cuts by order of the authorities in Cuba following the outbreak of the protests, according to internet surveillance observatory Netblocks.

According to a statement on its website, this body detected “partial interruptions” in the services of various communication platforms this Monday and added that the “targeted restrictions” are probably intended to limit the flow of information emanating from Cuba after thousands of people left. to the streets of the country to protest against the Government on Sunday.

Netblocks measurements found that “WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram platforms, as well as some Telegram servers, are being interrupted at the government ETECSA (Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba, SA), including Cubacel, the mobile network operated by the only telecommunications company in Cuba.”

According to this observatory, the cuts have been confirmed by users of these services on the island.

Netblocks internet measurements from 50 observation points this Monday confirm that the servers of these platforms are “partially or totally unavailable on landlines and cell phones.”

Despite this, Netblocks confirms that VPN services, used in many countries to bypass censorship, are still operational for many users.

The number of detainees in the protests that occurred on July 11 in various locations in Cuba is unknown, as the authorities have not provided data on the arrests.

The day of demonstrations of 11-J is considered historical since these acts of protest had never taken place in Cuba since the 1959 Revolution, with the exception of the famous “Maleconazo” of 1994, when groups of protesters took to the streets in La Havana to protest shortages during the “special period” crisis.