|
Cubans deprived of the
INQ
You say you want a revolution?
By Nick Farrell. Inquirer,
UK, 20 June 2006.
Cubans are getting a bit confused over
their President Fidel Castro's plans to
turn the nation into the next big Silicon
Valley.
Castro's computer classes for the youth
of Cuba are doing well, with lots of kids
learning all the latest computer skills.
Some say that with the skills that young
programmers have in the country, it could
be an excellent place to outsource.
However the whole thing is being stymied
by the fact that Fidel wants his computer
revolution to take place without the Internet.
Cubans are allowed to send email and have
a look at government Web sites on topics
from the weather to literature. But if you
want to have a wibble round the world outside
you can forget it.
Unless you are a foreigner with a big bank
balance or a member of the government elite
you can't use the Internet. Even if you
could, few Cubans could afford it.
According to SiliconValley.com, the government's
fear of the Internet is dooming the country
to being third or fourth world for decades.
Reporters without Borders says that the
Cuba uses the US embargo as a "pretext
for a repressive policy toward the Internet.
The chief reason for keeping citizens away
from the Internet is to prevent them from
being well-informed."
In fact it is easier to get Internet information
in China than Cuba, which is saying something.
| 
