Ellery Roberts Biddle
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I am a Philadelphia native living in San Francisco, where I work for the Center for Democracy and Technology. Since 2008, I have focused my research and writing on the politics of Internet access and digital expression in Cuba. Read more of my work on half-wired, my blog, or follow me on Twitter.
Latest posts by Ellery Roberts Biddle
7 February 2012
Cuba: Fatal Collapse in Downtown Havana Stirs Online Debate
Over the last three weeks, two buildings have collapsed in downtown Havana. Bloggers from Voces Cubanas and Havana Times saw the incidents as clear evidence of state officials' negligence of housing conditions in the city.
6 February 2012
Cuba: Bloggers on SOPA, Culture and the Democratization of Knowledge
Unlike many SOPA/PIPA critics in the United States and around the globe, Cuban bloggers did not focus on the technical implications of the proposed laws. Both independent and state-affiliated Cuban bloggers saw SOPA/PIPA as a powerful statement about how legislators (and the music and film industries) value culture and creativity as part of U.S. society.
7 December 2011
Cuba: Reggaeton Hit ‘Chupi Chupi' Denounced by Authorities
Over the past two weeks, reggaeton artist Osmani “La Voz” García’s popular hit 'Chupi Chupi' has begun stirring more than just the hips of partygoers on Havana’s Malecón. Cuban Minister of Culture Abel Prieto, and Cuban Institute of Music President Orlando Vistel, have publicly denounced the song and the video.
23 November 2011
4 November 2011
Cuba: Bloggers Discuss the Internet “Offline” on Radio Martí
On September 22, Radio Martí presented a program focused on the increasing visibility of bloggers and social media in Cuba, and the unique ways that new media is used on the island, where Internet and mobile phone penetration rates are extremely low.
21 September 2011
Cuba: Milanes' Miami Concert Stirs Controversy Among Cubans
On August 27th, Cuban music legend Pablo Milanés performed in Miami, marking his first concert in South Florida since the 1970s. On Cuba-focused blogs and news sites, bitter disagreement over the event’s political significance reverberated throughout the weeks surrounding Milanés’ performance.
I guess this story is supposed to make us Haitians proud of something , just...