On Snail-Mail and Email in Cuba
November 16, 2005 at 8:27 pm | In Epilogue |
Communication with my friends in Cuba has been proving to be quite the daunting task.
Example #1 -
I wrote an email to a friend there, which was immediately bounced back to me with the following error header:
This is an automatically generated Delivery Status Notification
Delivery to the following recipient failed permanently:
xx@xx.vcl.sld.cu
Technical details of permanent failure:
PERM_FAILURE: SMTP Error (state 9): 550 Mail from <steve.mans@gmall.com> to <xx@xx.vcl.sld.cu> prohibited from your location (UNKNOWN@UNKNOWN ip=72.14.204.194)
Now, it’s obvious that the message was rejected, and never made it to the recipients’ inbox. However, I later received a reply from the recipient who told me that she received my message - a few days late. I asked her to forward me the message, which she did… and the header was obviously manually truncated/modified from the original message. My SMTP skills are a little bit soft, but… it’s pretty obvious that the message was screened, bounced, and then queued for review somewhere.
There is actually a physical person between me and her scanning all of our email.
That is so not cool. The more I try to figure out how to extend the work I’ve been doing around Cuba, the more I run into really really discouraging shit like this.
Example #2 -
I’ve just received mail (regular, snail-mail) from some friends, and the letter was obviously opened, then put back in the envelope and taped shut again. No comment. Oh, and it was a “Hey, how’s it going?” kind of letter, nothing more.
I can’t help but wonder how much more progress Cuba would be making technologically, economically and socially if they invested as much effort into improving the system as they do in spying on their citizens. I understand the need to protect the revolution - it is worth protecting, IMHO - but the state’s fear of the Internet is due to its own misunderstanding of it. Information is indeed power, but the state should be more worried about its citizens feeling watched than about them emailing with friends.
Open up net access - not just email, but full, uncensored access - and the relations Cubans and Cuba build with the rest of the world will flourish. Most Cubans I’ve met already feel that the majority of their problems are directly related to the policies of the United States, and not only to the Cuban government. Let them talk about it, let them get the message out.
Like someone once said, “Our greatest natural resource is Cubans”. Give these Cubans a voice, and they will do the work for you in terms of educating the world about Cuba and correcting misconceptions and propaganda spread through the American media.
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[…] Steven Mansour shares his adventures in snail-mail and email with friends in Cuba. […]
Well, is very sad to hear this. Although I’ve always supposed it happens, I’ve never been directly aware it actually did. I live in Cuba (you’ve read my blog before) and I fully support your point of view about giving uncensored access to people here. I’m writing this, and I can almost asure that someone is spying it too.
By the way, great blogs you have. I think I’ll be adding them to my reading lists.
The Ministry of Truth
I asked CB of Killcastro to give us his thoughts on Cuba’s ridiculous demand for a non-elite information society in Tunisia: The Ministry of Truth The piece of news hit me like a ton of bricks: Cuba demands non-elite info…
sorry, but not too convincing. Opening letters can be for the purpose of censorship or plain old theft.
In the SMTP Error I miss the SMTP Servers address and or name, could be gmails server.
The Mailexchanger for sld.cu works just fine:
telnet mx2.sld.cu 25
Trying 196.1.112.18…
Connected to mx2.sld.cu.
Escape character is ‘^]’.
ehlo 220 ns2.sld.cu Sendmail ready.
Volker,
What do you mean by “not too convincing”?
My point was exactly that: letters were opened for censorship / theft, most likely.
it happens not only in cuba
No of course not - it happens in many other places around the world.
What bothers me the most about it happening in Cuba, though, is because I imagine the potential and the creativity that a state like Cuba would generate if they combined some of their succesful ideologies and policies with a free information flow.
It’s sad to hear that your mail was opened. I agree with you, the state should be more concerned with their citizens feeling spied on, but I think the state may see these measures as necessary precautions to take in the name of preserving the state. The threat of free thought, free communication is always palpable for any sovereign, autocratic government. To control what people say and whom they can say it to is to control everything. After all, in their minds, ideas are more dangerous than any weapon. It is a shame that the citizens cannot count on any semblance of privacy. Maybe freer lines of communication between Cuba and the rest of the world would begin to dispel some misconceptions. I hope someday we will get to find out. Keep up the good work, your blog is absolutely fascinating!
Well, of course the idea behind all these security measures is to protect the integrity of the revolution.
I just can’t help but feel that they’re hurting themselves more than protecting themselves though; this kind of behavior just feeds Cuba’s enemies with more fuel for the fire.
Having lived for several months in the United States and spent about as much time in Cuba, it seems to me that that the benefit and goodwill generated by freeing up the regulations plagueing its citizens would completely overshadow any “security breach” that occurs because of the open information system. Sure, “cyberterrorism” is a threat, but does that mean that every country should regulate the internet? Should millions of us stop driving on highways because one loony caused an accident?
The bottom line is that it would benefit everyone - including the Cuban state - to promote free, open, unrestricted internet use among the population. They had great success with the literacy programs in the 1960s… however, information technology is the new literacy, and Cuba is falling behind.
The only reason they fear it is because they don’t understand it.
on the whole SMTP error thing: I just had a call from one of my users asking me to look into why my mailserver is bouncing mail from gmail. I’m researching it now, I’m in receipt of a very similar bounce to the one you got, and I think it was inserted by SpamAssassin.
SpamAssassin works this way: mail comes in; if it matches a bunch of machine rules, it’s put into a mailbox called spamadmin instead of being delivered to users. A few times a week, some poor schlub has to wade through that mailbox and pass along the mail which should have gotten through.
It looks to me as if anti-spam zealots have recently added Gmail to one of the lists I use (but I’m still researching this.)
So the email being passed along? It was not political harassment. It was not spying. It was trying to do what your friend would have if she worked for a company with an IT staff.
Infomed delivers an incredibly valuable service in Cuba, I hope that it helps you to understand that what you saw was evidence of professional IT guys working Linux systems, not some hamhanded all-seeing eye stuff.
I can’t speak to how your mail was opened.
I can say that it’s frustrating that you don’t understand the difference between letters being opened for censorship (being read by an agent of the state who’s paid to do so) versus being opened for theft (being opened by a criminal who could be dismissed if caught and who is NOT following his job description.)
These are diametric opposites, and you link them together as identical.
Hi Peter,
Thanks for your comment.
In the time since this incident, further emails from me to most of my friends in Cuba seems to go through as it would anywhere else. What is occuring (to me) is that every time I try to send an email to someone new within the .cu domain, I seem to get the same message. Could it be that SpamAssassin is being set to mark all incoming mail from new addresses, and then once one of the IT guys flags it as “OK”, all further emails from / to those addresses are greenlighted?
I am somewhat familiar with the workings of infomed, and agree with you about its value.
I have to take exception to your differentiation of censorship and theft. Censorship is theft. Whether the opening of a letter is being state-sponsored and carried out in the name of security, or the work of a single criminal going against his job description, if the postal service is under the aegis of the state then it is the state’s responsibility to put systems in place to limit this from happening. Otherwise, they remain as complicit in the act of theft as the thief himself.
I don’t know whether my particular letter was opened due to state censorship or a criminal act, and upon re-reading my post (which was written quite a while ago), I can understand your statement about me not understanding the difference between censorship and theft. That being said, I don’t see how you can call them “diametric opposites”, implying that one would be “good” and the other is “bad”?
I should explain why I put my reply in the context of infomed: the address given was for .sld.cu.
the sld stands for salud - the ministry of public health.
They run infomed (see www.infomed.sld.cu) and offer email to health care professionals as well as to many university students on the island.
This is a service, it’s not something their users are paying for.
Also, I found this site because one of the top rated hits for my SMTP error is this page.
Yes, I know that the Infomed service is a huge benefit to the medical professionals and students in Cuba. It’s a very well-designed network that many other countries would do a good job emulating.
Interestingly, most of the people I know who have an email address in the sld.cu domain aren’t even remotely involved in the medical field.
As for how you found this site, well… yeah, Google loves blogs.
Steven: I don’t know english very good but I’ll try to tell you something about this and other posts. You wrote about mail spying, letters that were opened, etc. Excuse me, but you’re wrong. I have received many e-mails from around the world with the same description, and I haven’t thought about spies or other bad actions in spite of Cuba has always been attacked and blockaded by the United States of America’s government. I understand you. In case of Cuba it is common. There is too much disinformation about my country. You visited it, although. May be you have only spoken with persons whom don’t interest the true or may be they have been defended their own business. Who knows.
Regards,
Edda
Edda,
Thank you for your comment. If you read through the other comments - and the responses I made - you’ll find that I completely agree with you; it was either a misunderstanding, a technical issue or the actions of a single malicious person. My later communications have always gone through without any problems.
I do read your blog, and if you read most of mine you’ll find that we agree on most topics.
Cheers,
s.
I am a choreogrpaher/dancer seeking a cultural exchange. I plan on visiting Cuba in 2007 and would like to make contact with some dance companies and discuss a possible choreographic collaboration. My attempts to reach dance companies there have been fruitless. Can you help me make contact with any of the ballet or modern companies there? Does anyone have any suggestions? Thanks
interested in a connection in Cuba, interested in the history & culture. Curious about the native muslim & jewish population on the island. 631ridgeland@charter.net
Ofelia Fox, wife of the owner of the cabaret TROPICANA of Havana, was the first female radio personality of South Florida, broadcasting a daily radio commentary: “El Mensaje de Liansú” for which she did not charge a penny. WMIE, from where she transmitted, is now called “La Cubanísima” (WQBA) and a collection of Ofelia Fox’s manuscripts has been published as CUBA, PATRIA EN LAGRIMAS Y EL MENSAJE DE LIANSU. A 391 page book, including 16 with photos, that is a true diary of the first wave of political refugees from Cuba.
Mensaje transmitido el Miércoles, 27 de Febrero de 1963:
“Ayer llegó procedente de Nueva York el cadáver de un héroe de Playa Girón. Ironías de la vida. Jugadas del destino. Ese valiente soldado se llamava Ivo Fernández. Yo no lo conocía , pero para rendirle tributo me basta que fuera un soldado que fué a pelear por mí. Sí, por mí y por tí, Cubano que me escuchas. Sí. Tú y yo y aquel otro nos quedamos aquí mientras los soldados de Playa Girón fueron a pelear por la libertad en Cuba. Que es lo mismo que pelear por todos los Cubanos que estamos desterrados. ¡Y pensar que se debatió en el mar o en el aire o en tierra, que estuvo preso en las cárceles de Fidel Castro quien ignoró todas las reglas del trato a los prisioneros de guerra y los maltrató y humilló a su antojo! Pensar que sobrevivió la desnutrición, las enfermedades y los castigos físicos y morales de las prisiones comunistas. Que salió de aquellas cárceles dinamitadas con el firme propósito de volver a pelear por Cuba. ¡Y muere aquí, sin ver a su patria libre, como el la soñara!
Cuando oí la noticia ayer, aquí en este mismo espacio, sentí un dolor y una pena enorme de que este Cubano se nos hubiera ido tan pronto, sin ser testigo de la libertad que fué a defender un día. Que Dios acoja su espíritu en Su seno y lo cobije como Cubano triste, como héroe y como hombre de honor. Aquí, con sus restos, nos queda Ivo Fernández, soldado de la Brigada 2506, que seguirá latiendo en el corazón de todos y cada uno de sus compañeros y en el de cada Cubano que sufre el destierro. Descansa en paz, Ivo Fernández.
“Liansú”
“Trata de ser tú el fuerte. El que consuela. El que anima. Y si después de tanto hacer todavía sientes todavía que flaqueas piensa en Cuba y busca a Dios. Que quizás de tanto pensar en tí te hayas olvidado un poco de los dos.”
Ofelia Fox (Liansú) en “El Mensaje de Liansú” transmitido por la WMIE-Radio de Miami el Lunes 22 de Octubre de 1962 y página 142 del libro CUBA PATRIA EN LAGRIMAS Y EL MENSAJE DE LIANSU.
HI
I have need help I know someone but i can write a message because i’m not certain the e-mail adresse is not ok cant you help me
penton@coneopecuba.cu
It’s not that i tried a lot of combinaison but nothing ….
please help me
Im not sure if I can help, but if you give me the information I will do my best. Jerry
I sent email messages to two different email addresses but never got a response. I am wondering if anyone can help. So I think they did not get the message. A few months ago, I sent an email to one of the email addresses and did get a response but now there is no response. If anyone can help, I will send the the addresses I used.
WELL I AMNOT SURPRISED I TRIE TO SEND AND EMAIL TO A FAMILY MEMBER OF ONE OF MY PATIENTS IN MIAMI AND I NEVER GOT A RESPONSE. THIS LADY WAS QUITE ILL AND HER SON WANTED AND UPDATE. HE SP[OKE TO HIS SISTER HERE IN MIAMI AND I GAVE HER MY EMAIL. HE CONTACTED ME BUT NEVER GOT MY RESPONSE. WHEN HE WENT TO LOOK AT HIS EMAIL IT WAS SCREENED BY THE NEIGHBORHOOD SECURITY CUALTEL..NO PRIVACY LAWS IN CUBA I GUESS. DEFINETLY CUBA IS ABOUT AS CLOSE TO THE NOVEL 1984 AS ANY OTHER COUNTRY.
GEORGE LOPEZ, M.D. MIAMI
Sorry to disagree with you, George, but this isn’t specific to Cuba - in fact, I have no doubt that I also had my emails read by U.S. government officials over the years.
I would stay away from vitriolic statements such as the one you ended with. Like every country, Cuba has its share of issues, but also its share of successes. It is a very beautiful country filled with great people, and I haven’t had any more trouble with privacy in the Cuba than I have in the United States.
Regards,
s.
To Anny:
Try this:
penton@correodecuba.cu
@ RudA , you’re probaly right, the mail address given by Anny
does not exist. (name)@correodecuba.cu is the correct address
that I always use.
Vic
http://www.havana-guide.com
To Steven Mansour,
It’s unbelievable that there are people who still say that the Cuban revolution should be protected. That revolution has destroyed my country, Cuba. Everything good and decent in Cuba has been destroyed by the state. Communism is a cancer that suffocates it’s subjects that have no place to turn to. Unless you lived it and were subjected to constant spying and no right to protest, no freedom of expression, put in jail for singing a song of protest, or for any slight suspicion that you may be talking against the party, etc, etc. with no right to a lawyer.. I know that I can’t convince you. There is no worse blindman that he who doesn’t want to see.
Norma,
First of all, your angry comment has very little to do with the subject of the post at hand. But I’ll humor you anyways.
When I go to Cuba, I don’t find a “destroyed” country like you put it. I find a great country filled with great, ambitious, fiercely intelligent people. Like every other country in the world, it has its share of problems. But I wonder when the last time you actually went to Cuba was, to see it for yourself, instead of getting your news from the Miami Mafia.
I try to see both sides of every situation, and while I know Cuba isn’t perfect (nowhere is), it’s definitely not the dystopia you try to make it to be. Maybe you should revisit your ideas and your sources about Cuba to try and get a more balanced vision of things.
Good luck.
I will be travelling in Cuba by boat later this year and am looking forward to it. However, your remark that the revolution must be protected demands challenge.
You are talking about a regime which has no respect for free speech, that jails journalists and those who attempt to stand up against the government.
If Cuba is so wonderful - explain to me why people risk their very lives by attempting to cross over to the US in inner tubes or anything else that floats.
So why am I going to Cuba? I’m a journalist, it’s work. But - and I say and believe this very strongly - it’s contact with the free world that will ultimately destroy this rude and poisonous aberration in this hemisphere.
I don’t know why you believe the revolution should be ‘protected’, but my immediate response is a profound lack of respect for your values.
ahhhh….just noticed, after my initial post - you’re Canadian - and you’ve spent a ‘few months’ living in Cuba. Such an expert you are on this despotic regime.
For the record, I’m also Canadian and will spend at least two months there this winter.
Unlike you however, I haven’t succumbed to the socialist notions so many Canadians cling to and that lead you to believe that communist Cuba is a paradise.
The people, I’ve been told by friends who have been there, are wonderful. The country itself is beautiful. A shame they are run by despots.
End of rant.
Wally,
Thanks for your comment. You’re entitled to your own opinions about Cuba and its Revolution, but your passive aggressive personal attacks on me won’t win you any points around here.
Where we agree is here: the landscape for civil liberties and freedom of speech needs to change in Cuba. While there have been positive signs over the past few months, it hasn’t been nearly enough and there’s still a long way to go. Cuba, to me, is a great country, but far from a perfect one.
However, the jailing of innocents and stifling of dissent is something that happens, believe it or not, here in Canada as well as in the US (search youtube for the mass arrests of independent journalists at the RNC, for example). So using Cuba as a sort of scapegoat for this behavior is dishonest and short-sighted. Do you think that the Bush regime is any less responsible for this kind of thing around the world than the Cuban government is?
As for “people risking their lives to come to the US”, it’s simple - economy. Far, far more Mexicans try to cross into the United States (and far more die), and last time I checked, Mexico was a capitalist nation. Ironically, the economies of those two nations suffer directly because of policies that are cooked up in the US, whether it’s the genocidal embargo against Cuba or Draconian privatization policies that ensure that Mexico stays dirt poor. Why do so many more Mexicans than Cubans “escape” to the US?
Calling a country a “rude and poisonous aberration” also does not do much for your credibility - especially as a journalist, who I thought were supposed to be ever slightly more objective. And you have every right not to respect my values; I have no problem with that. I respect that yours are different and you are entitled to them.
Also, for the record, I don’t consider myself an “expert” on Cuba by any means, nor have I have claimed to be. I simply write about what I see. The only “experts” on Cuba are the ones living on the ground in Cuba, not you or I. Do you consider yourself an “expert” on Cuba?
Know that I haven’t succumbed to any “socialist notions” nor do I believe that Cuba is a paradise. I was a socialist far before I ever went to Cuba, and the times I spend in Cuba only helped to reinforce my belief that socialism is the least oppressive economic system for the vast majority of the world.
Finally, to clear up the misconceptions you seem to have about what I believe personally: I’m a non-Marxist market socialist Quebecois nationalist. Ergo, I’m not really Canadian.
Have a nice day.