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The US government has announced the creation of a new task force to promote "the free flow of information" in Cuba, a type of program that Havana has denounced in the past.
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The Task Force on the Internet for Cuba, announced on Tuesday and comprised of both government and non-government officials, will also be tasked with "expanding access to the Internet and independent media," the group said in a statement.
The creation of the task force corresponds to the Presidential National Security Memorandum issued on June 16 of last year by US President Donald Trump.
Since 1959, the Cuban government has denounced a number of similar programs initiated by the United States, saying they violate national laws, as well as international communication regulations.
One of the best-known examples was the ZunZuneo project, which was promoted by the United States as a messaging platform for Cuban youth – similar to Twitter – but was revealed by AP in 2014 to be a project intended to stir internal discord against the Cuban government.
Cuba is already working towards increasing internet access for its citizens. According to specialist Rosa Miriam Elizalde, "2017 will be remembered as the boom in the expansion of access to the network in our country, with 40 percent of Cubans connected to the Internet, 37 percent more than in 2010."
Also last year, the Telecommunications Company of Cuba worked to activate 600,000 new mobile lines, with 4.5 million devices now in the hands of the Cuban population.
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