Cuba: The secret Internet plan that connected 9,000 computers

Separated from the Internet, the young Cubans managed secretly to connect thousands of computers with a network that spans kilometers in Havana, giving them the ability to talk with their friends, download movies and music on a real and miniature replica of the Internet, in which most do not have access. Internet connections in homes are prohibited for almost all Cubans and the government charges almost a quarter of a month's salary for one hour online in hotels and centers Internet that is managed by the government.

This, of course, results in most people on the island living offline and naturally complaining about the lack of access to information and the inability to communicate with friends and relatives abroad.

A small minority found a solution by investing money to create a private network with more than 9,000 computers, with small but cheap and powerful hidden antennas and Ethernet cables also hidden and scattered across many locations in the city.

So hundreds of people are online and playing games like "World of Warcraft" or "Call of Duty" pretending to be American soldiers. They exchange jokes and photos in chat rooms and organize events, such as beach parties or house parties.

The internet is one of the fundamental things promoted by the American government within the framework of the ongoing lifting of the embargo. Cuba, one of the countries with the least internet on the planet, claims that this is due to the fact that the embargo of all these years results in advanced American technology, necessary for the internet, not being imported into the country.

External observers, however, speak about the government's effort to control the information that is spreading in the country. Cuba bans the use of Wi‑Fi equipment without approval from the Ministry of Communications, resulting naturally in the Internet being essentially prohibited.

The children who built this small Internet claim that the country knows this equipment exists, that they bother no one, and all they want is to play games and communicate.