For expats who are planning to travel to this Caribbean Island country, you might have heard of the Cuba internet censorship. If not, then you have to know that it’s drastic. But the censorship shouldn’t bother you too much if you’re simply a tourist. Websites that criticize the country’s government are the main targets of this censorship and are heavily banned from being accessed. The most pressing issue here for everyone in Cuba is the lack of internet access. You might want to consider using a VPN Cuba after I explain things here.
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Get through government censorship and surveillance with a VPN Cuba
I have visited Havana as a tourist before, and it was a good thing that I didn’t go there and brought my work with me. I would have had a difficult time working due to their mode of internet access. In order to access the internet, you have to buy scratch cards and connect to the public Wi-Fi hotspots that are approved by the government. Wi-Fi hotspots are located in parks and public places throughout Cuba. You can purchase scratch cards from the only telecom provider there, ETECSA, which has outlets downtown. And a scratch card costs $2 per hour.
Additionally, the government monitors the internet usage of each person connecting through the Wi-Fi hotspots. I think this is to see if anyone is publishing articles that are criticizing the Cuban government. But whatever their purpose is, I think it’s unreasonable that people have to pay the price of surveillance in exchange for internet access. What’s the use of censorships if the residents can’t even connect to the internet in the first place?
This is why if you’re planning on going to Cuba and you have to access the internet, using a VPN Cuba is a wise decision. Regarding the speed, I think it’s pretty good because I was able to take video calls. I even tried streaming a video and it went fine, considering their status. So using a free VPN in Cuba or a paid one wouldn’t be a problem. I have listed the best VPN for Cuba below so you should definitely check them out.
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Using a VPN Cuba to maintain your online safety and security
A VPN is not just needed to bypass the Cuban internet censorship; it’s for every single country you visit. Although plenty of VPN users have subscribed to this service to bypass censorship, a VPN has a lot of other helpful benefits aside from unblocking websites. The main reason why I’m encouraging everyone to use it is to maintain your safety and security.
Whenever you use a VPN, it creates an encrypted ‘tunnel’ where your traffic passes through. It prevents anyone — ISPs, hackers, surveillance agencies — from snooping in on your data so you can stay secure. It also hides your IP address so no one can trace you and you can browse online anonymously. VPN encryptions are designed to be impossible to decrypt. The best VPN for Cuba has military-grade encryptions, similar to what banks use, so you’re ensured that no one can use your data.
Using a VPN Cuba to bypass geo-restrictions
Although Facebook, YouTube, Gmail, and Instagram can be accessed by locals and expats in Cuba, there are certain media materials that are banned there. Movies, music, articles, and TV shows that are not approved by the authorities can’t be watched, listened to, or read by Cubans. If you’re planning to stay for a long time, you might have to give up Netflix and other luxuries. That’s how bad the Cuban internet censorship is. I was lucky to have visited Cuba as a tourist, but that didn’t mean that I was able to use Google Maps or Uber whenever I needed to.
If you’re not ready to give these up, using the best VPN for Cuba is the best solution especially if you’re not planning on living there permanently. All you have to do is to connect to a server located in another country. The VPN will spoof your location and assign you a different IP address. Your computer or mobile device will appear to be located on the server that you chose and you can access content that is blocked by the government.
Using a VPN Cuba to increase bandwidth
Now, this one I haven’t tried yet. But if it works for countries with high-speed internet connections that are intentionally slowed down by ISPs, then it possibly works here too. Using a free VPN in Cuba or paid subscriptions will enhance the bandwidth speed whenever you’re connecting to Cuba’s public Wi-Fi hotspots. I’ve mentioned earlier that the internet speed there is okay, but sometimes it slows down whenever there are a lot more people that are connected to it.
In other countries, ISPs do bandwidth throttling to discourage users from torrenting or streaming. They’re saying that it’s a way to regulate fair usage among everybody, but if you’re paying for unlimited data, why should they slow down your speed? You can call their customer service and complain about it, or you can skip the stress and use a VPN Cuba. There is plenty of free VPN in Cuba but I encourage you to get a paid subscription because it has better security features.
Using a VPN Cuba to torrent
Another way to dodge Cuba’s internet censorship is to use the best VPN for Cuba. This island country doesn’t support torrenting because the government doesn’t want pornographic, satanic, and political materials to circulate. Even if you’re not going to share any materials in the above-mentioned categories, you’re still not allowed to torrent. But a VPN will let you do this, provided that the internet speed is fast enough.
Just a disclaimer: please do this at your own risk. I’m against censorship and surveillance because I’m an advocate for internet freedom and privacy. However, if you want to use a free VPN in Cuba or a paid VPN for illegal purposes, please do so at your own risk.
