Creating unrest and starting wars, that’s what the United States are quite good at. Meanwhile, we all know. – bmc
RT
April 03, 2014
AFP Photo
The United States created a text messaging network to try and spread unrest in the communist country. More than 40,000 people have shared news and opinions using the service.
The document states that the project was led by Joe McSpedon, a US government official, who attracted a team of high-tech wizards from around the globe to set up a site that could reach hundreds of thousands of Cubans.
The island in the Caribbean has some of the world’s most stringent internet regulations, so text messaging via cellphones would help to evade the country’s strict information controls.
The network was called ZunZuneo, which was a play on twitter, with the word being slang for a Cuban hummingbird’s tweet. The project was financed by the US Agency for international development, which is best known for overseeing billions of dollars in US humanitarian aid.
The initial plan was to gain users by allowing assess to light news stories, such as baseball bulletins, music and weather updates. However, once a critical number of subscribers was reached, operators would introduce political stories aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the Cuban government, with the aim of creating a ‘Cuban Spring’.
At its peak, the site had more than 40,000 subscribers, who were never aware that the network was created by the US government.
