The decree also bans “cyberterrorism” aimed at
subverting order or destabilizing the country,
categorizing it as a crime of “very high” danger.
It did not specify penalties, which are to be set in
legislation later.
But if offered a model form that people can fill
out to denounce “cybersecurity incidents.”
Thousands of Cubans took part in protests on
July 11 and 12, angered by shortages of food
and medicine and by power outages, as well as
some demanding more political freedom.
The government accused outside groups and
the U.S. government of using social media to
cause trouble, and arrested numerous people
— officials have not given numbers — as well as
limiting access to the internet and temporarily
cutting off access to cellphone data plans.
While the new decree specifically deals with
actions on the internet, Cuba already has laws
that punish people for actions and statements
that undermine its socialist system.
The gazette also published rule against
providing telecommunications services without
official authorization, setting fines ranging from
the equivalent of $800 to $1,600.
In the past, the government often has cracked
down on people who used clandestine satellite
television dishes and decoders to pick up TV
signals from the United States.
In the wake of the protests, the administration
of U.S. President Joe Biden has said it is studying
ways to give Cubans independent access to the
internet. Republican critics have criticized Biden
for not acting more quickly.