The plans of Google and Internet Access in Cuba

If this is achieved it is an opportunity for millions of persons to access knowledge, products and services in the network.

Also evident it will be a great business for Google and advertisers in Internet that will increase sales incomes from the metadata provided by their users and because underdeveloped nations pay total costs of interconnection of Internet either by entrance or exit.

Professor Juan Fernández, advisor of the Cuban Ministry of Communication explains it in detail in his article “Internet, espionage and extra territoriality”.

“These companies store the so called ‘metadata’ of everyone who uses their services.

“The definition of metadata is all the information of a ‘data’ and not the ‘data’ as such. For example, the content of a phone call or email is a data while the phone numbers or electronic directions from its origin and destination, their physical location, length in seconds of the call or words in the email, etc. are ‘metadata’.

“The metadata allow elaboration patterns of behavior of the users of these companies and, consequently are valuable information that is sold to third parties to place advertisements, analyse markets and other uses.

“In fact, metadata are the most important assets of many large Internet companies such as Google, Yahoo and Facebook, among others that obtain the sale of these as the larger part of their incomes.

In this manner Facebook owns data with profiles of its users that it had a year ago have a market value of more than 100 billion dollars. On the other hand it is estimated that sales of this kind reached 6 billion USD in 2012.

“This allows these large Internet companies to offer their services ‘free of charge’ to their users that should cede their privacy and allow gathering information of their person”.

Aside from the recent visit to our country of executives of Google reported by many sources of media. Reuters includes a headline entitled “Executives of Google visit Cuba for the first time to promote access to Internet”. I think that in the case of Cuba the Google satellite Project would have to abide by the laws of the blockade as happens with all U.S. companies. The blockade prevents, among other things, that this large Island of the Antilles can legally connect many products for the owners of the search services.
When attempts are made to access from Cuba several Google services an ad appears that states “we are sorry but this service is not available for your country”.

This is the case of Google Analytics, Google Earth, Google Code Search and Others that are not available for Cubans does not permit statistical analyses and observe world satellite maps and Access the kindness of free software in one of the largest warehouses of codes in the world, just to mention a few examples.

The limitations of access to Internet in Cuba are economical and technological. As a general policy in the country there is no prohibition. What has been done is insufficient but has been with millionaire fines imposed by the United States to some companies that sell or repair technologies and the banks that deal with our financial transactions. In spite of this close to 3 million persons have access to Internet in Cuba under conditions of very complicated of connectivity.

Networks have been created that allow access from the homes of persons of several sectors – still a minority – of our society like is the case of the Infomed network that has allowed massive access to doctors and other professionals to medical information and has contributed to the training and requalification of our health specialists; Reduniv (the network of the universities) that allows access to students and professors of higher education. As opposed to Google that blockades Access to open codes to develop software Cuba has place priority on access of sectors that contribute to scientific and human development in fields such as higher education and health.

In this situation importance is placed on collective access to the network and information is available that work is done to create technical conditions to answer individual demands. Investments in force and planned are directed to this purpose; but it has to be done as a service of quality, sustainable and lasting.

In the past few years investments have been made in telephone and data networks – still insufficient – to increase and diversify the infrastructure that supports communication and access to data networks particularly in the internal infrastructure of telecommunications; and increase band width at a significant cost to progressively increase Access to international networks, specifically Internet. For collective service of the networks such as libraries, university, ETECSA added last year rooms of navigation at a very high price.

Few countries have made such a large effort to massif knowledge of the TIC since its creation. More than 600 Youth Computer and Electronic Clubs have been opened for children and Young people and any citizen to freely train in the use of these technologies and Access the national network and contribute knowledge and solutions in this field. More than 21 specialists in careers linked to computer knowledge have been graduated in the past 10 years. It is not a coincidence that Cuba occupies 14th place in the use of the TIC among countries of the world according to a report this year of the International Union of Telecommunications, UIT.

All the above mentioned information was offered to the executives of Cuba in their visit to Havana. Schmidt said in his Google+ network that the Cuban people are modern and well taught.

It was not Google that created this reality. Little can be contributed by Google and much planned by the Cuban government to stimulate the use of the TIC for the welfare of the economy, to promote culture, development of knowledge and access to communication and wholesome entertainment.

Translation by The Network in Defense of Humanity