USAID Issues Vehement Denial of Reports About 'Cuban Twitter'

What's This?

A woman uses her cellphone as she sits on the Malecon in Havana, Cuba on March 11, 2014.

Image: Franklin Reyes/Associated Press

By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai2014-04-07 23:15:33 UTC

Last week, a scathing AP report accused the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) of running a "covert" project to build a Twitter-like social network in Cuba to stir political unrest in the island. On Monday, USAID denied some of the Associated Press' main claims in an unusually harsh denial that lists claims "followed by the facts."

"The article contained significant inaccuracies and false conclusions about ZunZuneo," wrote USAID spokesperson Matt Herrick, using the Twitter-like service's Cuban name. "It makes for an interesting read, but it’s not true."

See also: The Internet in Cuba: 5 Things You Need to Know

ZunZuneo was a social network marketed to Cubans that was like a stripped-down version of Twitter. The network allowed subscribers to send and receive free updates via text message since USAID covered all the expenses. The AP reported that its operators, once the service reached "critical mass" intended to send political content to the subscribers, in the hopes of inspiring "smart mobs" and an eventual "Cuban Spring." The service, started in 2010, was retired two years later, due to lack of funds.

Herrick denied that the program was illegal or "covert." The spokesperson implied that it was "discreet" to minimize risks and ensure the safety of the USAID staff since sometimes the agency works in places where it's "not always welcome."

And even though it was low-profile, ZunZuneo wasn't kept secret from Congress, Herrick added, echoing almost word for word what the White House said in response to the story. On Friday, President Obama's press secretary Jay Carney said USAID had to be "discreet" and added that the program "had been debated in Congress and reviewed by the GAO [Government Accountability Office]."

In fact, the GAO had access to a plethora of documents about USAID's broader Cuba program, whose goal was to "break the 'information blockade'" and "promote 'information sharing'" in the country, also using "new technologies" or "new media," Herrick wrote.

In another item on the list, Herrick denied that USAID kept the U.S. government's role in the project secret. The AP reported that Mobile Accord, the company tapped to build the social network, wrote in an internal memo that it was "crucial" not to mention the U.S. government when discussing the project.

But Herrick said a USAID staff member was present during interviews to select people to lead the ZunZuneo project, and that the member's affiliation was always disclosed.

Herrick also denied a list of other facts reported by the AP: ZunZuneo didn't reach 40,000 users, he said, it reached 68,000. And to deny claims that USAID tried to hide that the money to fund the project came from the U.S., he said the funds were never earmarked for Pakistan and there was no shell company in Spain, as the Associated Press claimed.

"We welcome tough journalism — and we embrace it," Herrick concluded. "It makes our programs better. But we also believe it’s important that the good work of USAID not be falsely characterized."

The post makes for an unusually detailed denial from a U.S. government agency, but some basic facts remain: USAID sent $1.6 millions to Cuba's government-controlled telecom company for a social network experiment that, at the end of the day, was a failed attempt at breaking the "information blockade."

Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.

Topics: cuba, Internet freedom, U.S., US & World, World