WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn’s (R-Tenn.) bipartisan Open Technology Fund Authorization Act is enabling Cuban activists to access the internet to organize and share real-time updates on social media after the communist government shut down internet service.

Psiphon, an internet censorship circumvention tool funded by the U.S. Agency for Global Media’s Open Technology Fund, has enabled freedom-loving Cubans to access the internet and continue organizing protests. Daily unique users have spiked to over 146,000 since the demonstrations began.

“Socialism and communism leads to pain and suffering, and Cuba is the perfect example,” said Senator Blackburn. “The repressive Cuban government is attempting to squash protests by cutting off internet access for Cubans rebelling against communism. Yet, over 146,000 Cubans continue to have daily access to the internet thanks to open-source tools supported by the bipartisan Open Technology Fund my colleagues and I championed. The United States must do everything in its power to support those standing up to authoritarian regimes.”

BACKGROUND ON PSIPHON TECHNOLOGY

Psiphon is one of the most technically advanced and widely used circumvention tools in the world, providing access to uncensored content to millions of users. Psiphon's robust circumvention technology has proven consistently effective in the world's most highly censored contexts. As a Technology at Scale project, Psiphon will continue its long-running support to the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) by helping audiences discover and access USAGM content through both its own application and by ensuring that USAGM news apps remain uncensored.

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