Cuban Government Tightens Digital Censorship: Websites Can Be Shut Down Without Warning

In Cuba, when Miguel Díaz-Canel's regime decides to change course, they often use the term "order." This was evident with the "Tarea Ordenamiento," which dealt a crippling blow to the Cuban economy. Now, they are attempting to extend this "order" to media outlets, especially those beyond the reach of the Communist Party. On Wednesday, May 28, a new resolution (9/2025 from the Institute of Information and Social Communication) came into effect. This resolution claims to "organize" the national registry of publications, including a stipulation (article 51.1) that allows for the "temporary suspension or cancellation" of websites and serial publications without prior notice if they are deemed to severely violate "socialist principles."

Furthermore, article 56 indicates that if a website or publication continues to operate or distribute content after being suspended or canceled, its owner could face "more severe penalties." In simple terms, if content does not align with the Communist Party's "socialist principles," the site will be shut down, and if it reappears, the person responsible could face harsh consequences.

The resolution also mandates hosting providers to only work with officially registered sites, effectively barring independent media from service. Additionally, it requires monitoring of media funding sources, further targeting outlets that escape the Communist Party's control.

Canal Caribe, a state-run media outlet, chose not to highlight these points, instead mentioning that severe ethical and moral violations would be digitally notified to media outlets that fail to properly address content for children, youths, the disabled, and the elderly.

The core issue, however, is the power this resolution grants the regime to shut down websites and publications without warning if they dissent from "socialist principles." Canal Caribe frames this as a move towards a "more just and healthy society," overlooking the possibility that it is an attempt to control the narrative amid a severe economic, political, migratory, demographic, and public health crisis.

This resolution's implementation coincides with the onset of citizen protests in Bayamo, Guantánamo, and Cienfuegos, where people are expressing frustration over power outages and food shortages with no short-term solutions in sight. The regime alternates between claiming it needs three years to manage the blackouts and promising reduced outages by July.

Repeated Attempts to Stifle Free Speech

This isn't the first time Díaz-Canel has enacted measures that curb freedom of expression. In 2018, he introduced Decree 349, which required prior authorization for public and private performances and exhibitions. This decree was later acknowledged by Díaz-Canel as flawed. Additionally, Decree 370, known as the "Whip Law" for social media publications, followed suit.

Decree 349 aimed to censor cultural expressions that deviated from Communist Party slogans, contributing to the mass protests on July 11, 2021. International backlash led the European Parliament to call for the immediate repeal of Decrees 349 and 370 in June 2021.

Decree 370, introduced in 2019 and enforced in 2020, targeted activists and independent journalists. Criticisms now pour in from all sides, and the regime is overwhelmed with penalizing those who use social media to criticize Díaz-Canel's administration.

State Media's Struggle for Credibility

Efforts to control media and social networks persist. In November 2024, the PCC's media apparatus accredited the first group of social communication inspectors, under the Institute of Information and Social Communication (IICS), to "control and oversee" information disseminated on the island.

Subsequently, a recommendation to tighten regulations came from a Spanish Communist, Carlos González Penalva, who was introduced on Canal Caribe as a "social media expert" despite his modest online following. This contrasts sharply with Cuban influencers like La Dura and Magdiel Jorge Castro, who boast substantial audiences.

Amidst the national discredit of official media, struggling to connect with the public, UPEC Vice President Francisco Rodríguez Cruz claimed in March that the state's narrative apparatus serves "the people," not the Communist Party's political interests. It is within this context that the Social Communication Law, approved two years ago, emerges, expected to impose further restrictions on freedom of expression in Cuba.