Through past revolutions around the globe we have witnessed the power of social media in giving the voiceless a platform to be heard. This exact reason is why the U.S. Government created a Twitter clone to influence revolutionists south of the Sunshine State. Unfortunately, it may have not been the most ethical move to trick people into using a platform created by a government that has had a 54 year economic embargo against you.
“Cuba’s version of Twitter, known as ZunZuneo, was launched secretly in 2009 by the U.S. Agency for International Development, which went through elaborate lengths to hide the service’s true origins, according to the AP.”
As exemplified in recent years such as the Arab Spring, the oppressed around the world have utilized Twitter in mass movements against unjust governing powers. Recently, in Turkey the government has tried to block twitter, as it has become a voice of unrest. “The U.S. hoped ZunZuneo could perform a similar role in Cuba, reaching a “critical mass” and facilitating widespread protest to realign the balance of power in the country, the AP reported. ZunZuneo is the sound Cuban’s use to describe the chirp of a hummingbird.”
It is issues like these that privacy advocates and anti-government opinions are founded to be somewhat rational. At the end of the day, for many developing nations whose internet is controlled by authoritarian governments it’s people are omitted from having the freedom to express themselves on an international level.