U.S. Reportedly Built 'Cuban Twitter' to Undermine Castro Government

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Image: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/GettyImages

By Stan Schroeder2014-04-03 11:26:09 UTC

The U.S. has secretly built a Twitter-like service with the aim of stirring political unrest in Cuba, claims a report by the Associated Press.

The "Cuban Twitter" project, called "ZunZuneo," was publicly launched in 2010; it lasted more than two years, and had tens of thousands of subscribers. The plan was to circumvent Cuba's internet filters, build an audience and then turn them into dissenters, but the question that now arises is: was the scheme legal?

See also: Obama Shakes Hands With Cuba's Raul Castro at Mandela's Memorial

The AP obtained a 2010 memo from a company called Mobile Accord Inc, which was one of the project's creators.

"There will be absolutely no mention of United States government involvement. This is absolutely crucial for the long-term success of the service and to ensure the success of the Mission," said the memo.

An archived screenshot of ZunZuneo, a Cuban Twitter-like service which lasted from 2010 to 2012. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. was behind the project, aiming to stir unrest in Cuba.

The project, which included a companion website and a marketing campaign, cost an estimated $1.6 million; publicly, though, the money was meant to be spent for an unspecified project in Pakistan. ZunZuneo disappeared abruptly in 2012.

To hide the money's trails, the company was set up in Spain, with the money flowing from Cayman Islands, a British offshore tax haven.

According to the AP, officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) would not say who approved the project and whether the Obama administration was aware of it.

United States' relations with Cuba improved since Raul Castro succeeded his brother Fidel as the President of Cuba. Notably, in Dec. 2013, U.S. President Barack Obama shook hands with Castro at Nelson Mandela's funeral in Johannesburg, South Africa — a first formal greeting between American and Cuban leaders since 2000. The ZunZuneo project, however, sounds like a remnant from the Cold War.

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Topics: cuba, Cuban Twitter, U.S., US & World, World, ZunZuneo