Cuba was the country with the most internet outages in the region during 2022

Cuba was the country with the most internet outages in the Latin American and Caribbean region during 2022, indicated a report from the organization Access Now.

"The island is particularly vulnerable to complete outages, as there is only one telecommunications run by the government, ETECSA, and only one fiber optic undersea cable connection to the global internet," said the report of Access Now published this Wednesday, which registered two total network blackouts in Cuba last year.

As indicated in the text, in July 2022, lCubans protested in Los Palacios and Pinar del Río and, in September, they staged protests throughout the country over the constant and prolonged blackouts. On both occasions, They suffered total internet outages for hours.

The lack of connectivity, according to the report, undermined the population's ability to make their voices heard, participate in democratic processes and remain safe and connected during periods of unrest, and constituted a fundamental threat to human rights.

"With the government's growing history of resorting to internet shutdowns in the face of public dissent, we are closely monitoring Cuba as its parliamentary elections approach in March 2023," stated the organization, which registered a total of 187 Internet interruptions in 35 countries.

Since mobile internet was first available in Cuba in December 2018, it quickly moved to top the list of the country with the most internet outages in the region, the source indicated.

Although the Latin America and Caribbean region has reported fewer cases of internet shutdowns in 2022 compared to other regions, several repeat offenders have resorted to outages to silence dissent, restrict the flow of information and pressure social media users to comply with government orders.

In a new record for service interruptions in a single year, blackouts are not only becoming more frequent around the world, but lasting longer, Access Now said; Additionally, they target specific groups and are used when people need connection most, including during humanitarian crises, mass protests, and active conflicts.

Cuba is also located among the four countries with the least free internet in the world, according to a study published by the Non-Governmental Organization Freedom House.

In its annual report, Cuba was ranked last year as the fourth country with the most content limitations, greatest obstacles to access and further violations of user rights.

Connection limitations are part of the strategies implemented by the Cuban regime on occasions when the people resort to peaceful demonstrations to express their discontent with the system.