Cuba to block Net access
Starting tomorrow, Cuba will both block Net access over the government phone service most people have at home, and use technical measures to spy on them.
Access is already heavily controlled by the government and the move, under a new law announced Friday, could affect hundreds, perhaps thousands of Cubans.
These people currently go online, "without authorization from their homes, using computers and Internet accounts that have been borrowed or purchased on the black market for as much as $50 for 80 hours a month," says an Associated Press story here
"Most Cubans do not have authorized access to the Wide World Web, although many can access international e-mail and a more limited government-controlled intranet at government jobs and schools.
"Some physicians and key government officials are among the few Cubans authorized to use the Internet from home. According to the new law, those Cubans authorized to use the Internet must now seek additional approval to use the service on the nation’s regular phone service, which is charged in Cuban pesos."
The law, known as Resolution 180/2003, states that the move is necessary to "regulate dial-up access to Internet navigation service, adopting measures that help protect against the taking of passwords, malicious acts, and the fraudulent and unauthorized use of this service."
The resolution further states that the Cuban phone company will use technical means to "detect and impede access to Internet navigation service" from ordinary phone lines, says AP.
