Video shows Cuban fears of Internet, social media

[Zorro]

<snip>

Cuba fears the United States is encouraging dissent through social media such as Facebook and Twitter with the goal of toppling the government, according to the video of what appears a meeting of Cuban officials posted on websites this week.

The 50-minute video apparently is a presentation given by an Internet expert to officials of Cuba's Interior Ministry last June.

A link to the video at http://vimeo.com/19402730 was posted on several blogs, including that of Cuban anti-government blogger Yoani Sanchez, and on the website of the Miami Herald. It is not known how the video was obtained.

The expert, whose identity is not disclosed, told the officials the United States is promoting use of Facebook and Twitter to foment dissent similar to ways it was used in insurrections in the Ukraine in 2004 and in Iran in 2010.

<snip>

More at: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110205/wr_nm/us_cuba_usa_cyberwar_1

[Recursion]

1. Sure, Raul, it's all about the US....

...and has nothing to do with you throwing a quarter of the state workforce out on their ass.

[davidinalameda]

2. glad to see the government doing some good

[EFerrari]

3. Sounds about right to me. This is bad news for those fake Ladies in White.

They're going to miss their cash cow. :)

[Democat]

4. If a government is afraid of Facebook, that government likely has bigger problems.

Trying to block access to Twitter or Facebook by any government is a sure sign of bigger problems.

[EFerrari]

5. Sure except this article doesn't say that.

The headline is misleading. The article describes a meeting about destabilization efforts done using the social media. And destabilizing peaceful governments in this hemisphere is how the State Department moves.

It doesn't describe some ungrounded, unfounded free floating fear of the intertubes. If the Cuban government was afraid of internet access, it wouldn't be working with the Venezuelans to be hooked up to the net via their network (since the US has refused to allow them access to the nearest cable already in place).

[saras]

6. Knock it off. Cuba haters can't handle facts any more than other freepers.

[originalpckelly]

8. Life is not black and white.

It is true that the US government has tried to topple the Cuban government many times through various strange plots. However, that doesn't mean their government is innocent and doesn't have problems. It also doesn't mean that legitimate Cuban originated efforts may not use things like Facebook or Twitter to topple their government and replace it with one that allows a freer and fairer life for the people of that fine nation.

Personally, I wish someone would budge, because Cuba is beautiful as I understand it, and I'd love to go there in my lifetime, without having to go anywhere outside of the USA to do it. Although, I may anyway.

[EFerrari]

9. That's right. Life is not black and white.

But a destabilization program by our state department is not a legitimate "Cuban originated effort".

[Zorro]

7. Bump for the morning crowd