Madrid/Cuba has consolidated a digital surveillance system designed to “neutralize dissent” based on “punitive” laws, spyware (spyware) and other means of technological intrusion, as revealed by the First Comprehensive Report on Digital Surveillance in Cuba of the Prisoners Defenders organization.
In the document, based on 200 testimonies from victims inside and outside the country, the NGO accuses the Cuban Government of operating under a “Big Brother” logic – after the all-powerful character from George Orwell’s novel 1984– in order to dismantle “independent social, civic and political networks, as a form of submission.”
During the presentation of the report, carried out online this Tuesday, the president of Prisoners Defenders, Javier Larrondo, regretted the level of “self-censorship” that the cyber surveillance system has caused on the Island.
“The level of self-censorship, of terror in the population for publishing on networks or even speaking on WhatsApp is tremendous”
“The level of self-censorship, of terror in the population for publishing on networks or even speaking on WhatsApp is tremendous,” he denounced.
The report highlights that 46.5% of those surveyed stated that they had their communications directly intercepted in messaging applications, such as WhatsApp, and that the content of their conversations was mentioned by the police during interrogations or arrests without court orders.
“It is not a temporary technical phenomenon, but a central component of a political control model,” the text emphasizes.
Along these lines, the report documents that practically all respondents (98.5%) have suffered “sanctions or threats” due to the content of their digital conversations or publications.
Among the 200 testimonies, the presence of activists (51%), relatives of political prisoners (33.5%) and independent journalists (15%) stands out.
The NGO’s investigation identified 10 patterns of surveillance, including “cyber patrolling” (systematic observation of publications and communications), selective internet shutdowns, and “coercive digital intrusion.”
“These practices eliminate any reasonable expectation of privacy”
This last practice consists of forcing victims to unlock their phones without a court order, an action that affected 65.5% of the sample.
Once access is obtained, according to the report, authorities not only review the information. but rather their private communications are intervened in messaging applications (reported by 46.50% of respondents).
After the intrusion, it is common for victims to detect open sessions from unknown locations (49.5%).
Another element highlighted in the text is the blocking of internet access, a phenomenon that has happened to 77.5% of those consulted. For the most part, these cuts have coincided with events such as protests or symbolic dates, such as the anniversary of the anti-government protests of July 11, 2021.
“These practices eliminate any reasonable expectation of privacy. This pattern demonstrates that in Cuba private communications are not protected. Surveillance operates without controls, without judicial authorization and without clear limits, directly violating the right to privacy, intimacy and freedom of expression,” criticized Caren Herrera, legal director of the organization.
On the other hand, the NGO also charged against the “instrumentalization of the law”, pointing out norms such as Decree-Law 370 and the new Penal Code. These laws, he stated, allow high fines to be imposed and equipment to be confiscated for disseminating information contrary to the “social interest,” a term that the organization describes as “vague and discretionary.”
