www.nointernetforyou.cu

The Castro regime has published new figures regarding Internet usage on the island.

They are included in a lengthy article in Juventud Rebelde that somehow attempts to blame the United States (of course) for the abysmally low rate of Internet penetration in Cuba.

According to the newspaper, which is the official publication of the Union of Communist Youth, Cubans cannot access the Internet because those evil Americans won’t provide enough bandwidth.

In any case, the paper says, the US only wants to use the technology to encourage “internal dissent” on the island. Naturally.

Anyway, to the official figures, which I suggest you approach with care.

The paper claims there are 790,000 email users in the country plus another 150,000 Cubans with access to the Internet. It also claims that there are about 1,500 Internet sites – all of which are either published or sanctioned by the Communist Party and its front organisations.

What the paper does not say is that:

1. Internet access is restricted to those considered by the regime as “ideologically secure”, and

2. Ordinary Cubans need a special (and rarely obtainable) permit to buy a computer, as you can read in this BBC report.