Distributed by CubaNet
by Monica De Motta, Agencia de Prensa Independiente de Cuba, (APIC).
HAVANA, October 16, 1996 (APIC).- The spread in Cuba of Internet services is controlled by the State as its only beneficiary, through the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, in such a way that it can only be used by the personnel linked to that ministry.
To that effect, they have created an interministry group which proposed the decree, subsequently approved by the Council of Ministers, where they formulated the national control of the Internate. Such control is centralized through the Institute of Information of said department, thereby issuing several resolutions and rules of technical and informative security.
They have also made it known that Castro's government is taking every measure necessary to "preserve and defend itself against risks", according to the statement issued by Carlos Lague, member of the Politburo, in a meeting.
Talking about the internationalization of modern communication, Castro recently stated that: "Let's travel the world and be pure, but purity is not worth much in a glass case".
The Cuban government considers such "purity" as the maintenance at all costs of the levels of disinformation to which the people is subjected, in such a way that they only know from abroad whatever crumbs of conveniently manipulated information which they are offered.
On the other hand, a glass case, by opening through the Internet, will allow the Cuban elite to renew the vision of chimerical perfection which they project onto the world's public opinion regarding the development and wellness of the country.
In the end: censorship for internal consumption, censorship of propaganda to project abroad and the innability of individuals to access a service which was created for the entire world.