Clandestine Creation of a Social Media Platform by the United States, Intended to Undermine Cuba's Stability
In the world of clandestine operations, two social media platforms stand out in the context of U.S.-Cuba relations: ZunZuneo and Piramideo.
Launched secretly by USAID, a CIA front, ZunZuneo was a Cuban social media platform resembling Twitter, created around 2010. Its purpose was to spread anti-government messages and foment political dissent aimed at destabilizing the Cuban government. The platform gained up to 40,000 users at its peak and was designed to organize "smart mobs"—groups mobilized for political protests coordinated by the U.S.—with the goal of inciting a color revolution on the island. However, ZunZuneo was shut down abruptly in 2012 when funding ceased.
ZunZuneo served as a covert tool for political manipulation by disseminating messages gradually before urging users to join protests. While it was active, it provided news to Cuban users free of Cuban government censorship, some critics alleged it spread disinformation with the goal of stirring insurrection against Cuban authorities.
The existence of ZunZuneo and its ties to the U.S. government only came to light after the Associated Press published a story in April 2014. The platform was shut down in 2015 after the Associated Press's revelations about ZunZuneo were seen as a global embarrassment to American clandestine operations.
Following ZunZuneo's shutdown, the U.S. government launched a new network called Piramideo. Run through the Broadcasting Board of Governors, America's largest public-facing media outlet with a mandate to help spread American versions of truth and democracy around the world, Piramideo aimed to fill the void after Twitter was banned in Cuba.
Reese Erlich, an author from Cuba, reported in 2014 about how Piramideo was being used, quoting Nestor Garcia, a former diplomat and teacher at the Institute for International Relations in Havana, who said the U.S. was trying to create a climate to protest against the Cuban government.
Fast forward to 2018, Cuba allowed internet access through mobile phones, a significant step towards increased connectivity for the island nation. However, concerns about national security arose with the advent of TikTok, a popular social media app owned by ByteDance, a Chinese company.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testified that TikTok poses a real threat to national security, pointing to ByteDance's alleged "beholden-ness" to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Wray stated that influence operations like those potentially carried out by TikTok are difficult to detect, citing historical examples of U.S. covert influence operations, such as creating fake journalists to plant fake news in newspapers around the world.
In response to these concerns, the House of Representatives passed a law that would force ByteDance to divest from TikTok in the U.S. or face a ban. The bill's fate in the Senate remains uncertain. Sen. Marco Rubio asked if ByteDance would have to comply with CCP requests to show American users divisive content, to which Wray responded affirmatively.
As these events unfold, it's clear that the line between covert operations and mainstream technology continues to blur, raising important questions about national security, data privacy, and the role of social media in political movements.
- The future of social media apps like TikTok, owned by ByteDance, is under scrutiny due to allegations of potential national security threats and influence by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
- In the realm of technology and cybersecurity, the FBI Director, Christopher Wray, has pointed out the difficulty in detecting influence operations, citing historical examples such as ZunZuneo, a covert social media platform aimed at causing political unrest in Cuba.
- As the world progresses, questions about the role of technology, data privacy, and national security in the context of political movements continue to arise, with policy-and-legislation becoming increasingly crucial.
- Gizmodo, an influential tech news site, has reported on the concerns regarding TikTok, highlighting the potential for ByteDance to be beholden to the CCP and comply with requests to show American users divisive content.
- The line between covert operations and mainstream technology seems to be blurring more each day, leaving many to wonder about the implications on war-and-conflicts and the general-news landscape.
- The existence of such covert social media platforms as ZunZuneo, created by USAID, is a stark reminder of how technology and politics can intersect in unexpected ways, influencing future tech and tech policy-and-legislation.
