Faced with rare protests, Cuba curbs social media access, watchdog says

FILE PHOTO: Police run during protests against and in support of the government, amidst the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Havana, Cuba July 11, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer

HAVANA (Reuters) -Cuba has restricted access to social media and messaging platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp, global internet monitoring firm NetBlocks said on Tuesday, in the wake of the biggest anti-government protests in decades.

Thousands of Cubans joined demonstrations throughout the Communist-run country on Sunday to protest https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/cubas-president-blames-discontent-us-sanctions-2021-07-12 against a deep economic crisis that has seen shortages of basic goods and power outages. They were also protesting against the government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and curbs on civil liberties.