Cuba curbs access to Facebook, messaging apps amid protests

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Cuba has restricted access to social media and messaging platforms including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Telegram since Monday, global Internet monitoring firm NetBlocks said yesterday, amid widespread anti-government protests. NetBlocks, based in London, said on its website that the platforms in Cuba were still partially disrupted yesterday, which was “likely to limit the flow of information from Cuba.” The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Neither did Telegram and Facebook Inc, which owns Instagram and WhatsApp. Social platform Twitter Inc said it found no blocking of its service. Thousands of Cubans joined demonstrations in cities and towns throughout the country on Sunday to protest Cuba’s economic crisis and handling of the pandemic, with some calling for an end to communism. The government has said the demonstrations were orchestrated by US-financed counter-revolutionaries, manipulating frustration with an economic crisis largely caused by the decades-old US trade embargo. Underscoring the government’s concern, state-run media reported yesterday that Raul Castro, who stepped down as head of the ruling Cuban Communist Party in April, attended a meeting on Sunday of the political bureau to address the “provocations.” Party leader and President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in April he would continue to consult Castro on matters of utmost importance. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday that believing the demonstrations were US-directed would be a “grievous mistake” and show the government was not listening to the voices of the Cuban people.