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Expanding Freedom and Democracy
Freedom on the Net 2025

Cuba

Not Free
21
100
A Obstacles to Access 5 25
B Limits on Content 10 35
C Violations of User Rights 6 40
Last Year's Score & Status
20 100 Not Free
Scores are based on a scale of 0 (least free) to 100 (most free). See the methodology and report acknowledgements.
Cuba_hero_map

header1 Key Developments, June 1, 2024 – May 31, 2025

Internet freedom in Cuba improved slightly during the coverage period, though the environment remained highly restricted as authorities persisted with efforts to censor and punish online dissent. The quality of internet connections continued to be poor amid a severe energy crisis,1 and a significant price hike for mobile internet service deepened affordability challenges. Government censorship included the blocking of independent news sites, the imprisonment of internet users, and other forms of harassment.

  • In May 2025, the state-run Telecommunications Company of Cuba SA (ETECSA)—the country’s only mobile service provider—abruptly imposed limits on ordinary data plans as well as higher prices for any additional data that far surpassed the monthly minimum wage.2 In June, after the coverage period, ETECSA responded to significant criticism of the price hike by announcing that students could obtain extra data at a lower cost (A2).3
  • The Social Communication Law (LCS), which included vague restrictions on content and could be used to apply additional criminal penalties for online speech, took effect in October 2024. Its implementation coincided with further intimidation, interrogations, and stigmatization of independent digital journalists. Some reporters announced their resignations or went into exile due to the repression (B3, B6, B7, and C7).4
  • As part of the implementation of the LCS, in November 2024 the government showcased “social communication inspectors” whose duties would include monitoring online content to ensure compliance with the law (B3, B6, and C5).5
  • Authorities imposed severe criminal penalties in connection with online activities. In January 2025, for instance, Félix Daniel Pérez Ruiz was sentenced to five years in prison for creating a Facebook post that criticized the government and encouraged a public demonstration.6 Opposition figure José Manuel Barreiro Rouco received a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence in September 2024 for sharing memes about Cuban leaders in a private WhatsApp group (C3).7

header2 Political Overview

Cuba’s one-party communist state outlaws political pluralism, bans independent media, suppresses dissent, and severely restricts basic civil liberties. The government continues to dominate the economy despite a series of reforms that permitted private-sector activity and foreign investment. The regime’s undemocratic character has not changed since a generational transition in political leadership that started in 2018 and included the introduction of a new constitution and the gradual passage of complementary new legislation.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.

A Obstacles to Access

A1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do infrastructural limitations restrict access to the internet or the speed and quality of internet connections? 2.002 6.006
A2 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Is access to the internet prohibitively expensive or beyond the reach of certain segments of the population for geographical, social, or other reasons? 0.000 3.003
A3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the government exercise technical or legal control over internet infrastructure for the purposes of restricting connectivity? 3.003 6.006
A4 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are there legal, regulatory, or economic obstacles that restrict the diversity of service providers? 0.000 6.006
A5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do national regulatory bodies that oversee service providers and digital technology fail to operate in a free, fair, and independent manner? 0.000 4.004

B Limits on Content

B1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does the state block or filter, or compel service providers to block or filter, internet content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 3.003 6.006

Score Change: The score improved from 2 to 3 because, unlike in years past, social media platforms were not blocked during the coverage period, though some messaging applications showed signs of blocking.1

B2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do state or nonstate actors employ legal, administrative, or other means to force publishers, content hosts, or digital platforms to delete content, particularly material that is protected by international human rights standards? 1.001 4.004
B3 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do restrictions on the internet and digital content lack transparency, proportionality to the stated aims, or an independent appeals process? 0.000 4.004
B4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Do online journalists, commentators, and ordinary users practice self-censorship? 1.001 4.004
B5 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are online sources of information controlled or manipulated by the government or other powerful actors to advance a particular political interest? 1.001 4.004
B6 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are there economic or regulatory constraints that negatively affect users’ ability to publish content online? 0.000 3.003
B7 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the online information landscape lack diversity and reliability? 1.001 4.004
B8 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do conditions impede users’ ability to mobilize, form communities, and campaign, particularly on political and social issues? 3.003 6.006

C Violations of User Rights

C1 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Do the constitution or other laws fail to protect rights such as freedom of expression, access to information, and press freedom, including on the internet, and are they enforced by a judiciary that lacks independence? 0.000 6.006
C2 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Are there laws that assign criminal penalties or civil liability for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 0.000 4.004
C3 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Are individuals penalized for online activities, particularly those that are protected under international human rights standards? 1.001 6.006
C4 1.00-4.00 pts0-4 pts
Does the government place restrictions on anonymous communication or encryption? 1.001 4.004
C5 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does state surveillance of internet activities infringe on users’ right to privacy? 1.001 6.006
C6 1.00-6.00 pts0-6 pts
Does monitoring and collection of user data by service providers and other technology companies infringe on users’ right to privacy? 0.000 6.006
C7 1.00-5.00 pts0-5 pts
Are individuals subject to extralegal intimidation or physical violence by state authorities or any other actor in relation to their online activities? 2.002 5.005
C8 1.00-3.00 pts0-3 pts
Are websites, governmental and private entities, service providers, or individual users subject to widespread hacking and other forms of cyberattack? 1.001 3.003

On Cuba

See all data, scores & information on this country or territory.

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Country Facts

  • Population

    11,210,000

  • Global Freedom Score

    10 100 not free

  • Internet Freedom Score

    21 100 not free

  • Freedom in the World Status

    Not Free

  • Networks Restricted

    Yes

  • Websites Blocked

    Yes

  • Pro-government Commentators

    Yes

  • Users Arrested

    Yes