Internet censorship in Cuba

Cuba is well known for a number of things, from cigars, salsa and Cha Cha dancing to the now retired Communist leader Fidel Castro. What you may not know, is that the vast majority of Cuba’s 11 million residents aren’t able to access an open and free internet.

According to Freedom House’s 2013 Freedom on the Net, only 5% of Cubans have access to an open internet, placing Cuba just ahead of Iran and behind China in the rankings.


Can you imagine not being able to use the internet on your phone or access the internet at home? I’m sure you can’t, but for the majority of Cubans this is sadly the norm. Most mobile phones in Cuba don’t even include internet connections, and you’d be hard pressed to find internet in people’s homes. This is mainly because a basic home computer costs US$722,  compare that to a Cuban’s average monthly salary of around $20 a month  and you can see why.  Those who can access the internet, are mostly government officials, academics, doctors and state approved journalists, according to Ellery Biddle, who has researched Cuba’s internet issues for six years.

Cubans who wish to use the internet legally can use one of the 600 Youth Computer Clubs  or one of 118 state-owned internet cafes, which cost around $4.50 per hour. 

To be able to use one of these cafes or Youth clubs Cubans must provide identification so authorities can monitor and view their interactions and communications.  Super fast internet is non-existant , those who do pay these hefty prices, experience extremely slow speeds, which basically allows them to check their email – so, forget streaming online videos!

There are only two ISPs in Cuba, CENIAI Internet and ENET (ETECSA) which are both state owned. The Cuban government installed software on all public computers to monitor internet activity which also collects data from public computers.  Cubans have very little, if any room to breath, every move they make is monitored.

One company trying to encourage open internet in Cuba, is Google. Recently, according to the Cuban blog 4yomedio.com,  its Chairman Eric Schmidt and a number of open internet advocates visited the country with the aim of “promoting the virtues of a free and open Internet.” No other details about the unofficial visit were given, but it clearly demonstrates Google’s desire to bring about internet freedom in a tightly controlled, and restrictive country.

For now, accessing social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter is hit and miss (they have both been blocked in the past) but as in Pakistan, YouTube remains blocked.

However, there are several ways that Cubans bypass government censorship, one of which is to use a VPN (Virtual Private Network.)  Hide My Ass! have the largest number of servers around the globe, and for those in Cuba, whether you live there or are visiting the country, your best bet would be to connect to one of our US servers. Once connected, all your online activity is hidden, nobody can snoop on your online activities, who you communicate with or what you post online.

At HMA! we believe that everyone has the right to a free and open internet. We deplore any government that restricts its citizens from being able to voice their opinions, and communicate with the outside world. Take back your right to a free and open internet with HMA!
Visit our website for more information about HMA! Pro VPN