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
14 March 2012
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.
25 June 2011
Cuba: Cuba Votes for LGBT Resolution at UN Human Rights Council
The United Nation Human Rights Council passed a resolution expressing “grave concern at the violence and discrimination experienced by people because of their sexual orientation..." Among the nations that supported the measure was Cuba. Cuban bloggers and Twitter users celebrated this significant victory for the island’s LGBT communities.
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13 June 2011
Cuba: Activists, Bloggers on the Cuba Money Project Vimeo Channel
The Cuba Money Project has launched an impressive video archive with interviews of activists and bloggers in Cuba. Global Voices author Ellery Biddle interviews Tracey Eaton, the founder of the non-profit research and reporting initiative that aims to investigate and bring greater transparency and accountability to US federal spending on “pro-democracy” programs in Cuba.
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28 April 2011
Cuba: Bloggers Reflect on Reforms at Communist Party Congress
The sixth congress of the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), which was recently held in Havana, may have marked a major turning point for the Cuban economic system, and for Cuban society at large. Bloggers in Cuba, and those who follow Cuba from other parts of the world, offered a diverse range of reactions.
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