The personal data of Cubans, both on the island and emigres, in Moscow’s hands

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Could the personal data of Cuban emigrants from different countries end up in the hands of Russian intelligence bodies? Could the online platforms of companies registered in the US and Spain that sell products in Cuba purchased by emigrants serve as instruments for Moscow to penetrate those countries? Judging by certain programs of the island's regime, and its ally, the answer is "yes."

Suspicions were raised in October 2024, when the Russian Federation's Digital Technologies Department, attached to its Ministry of Industry and Trade, and the Russian Trade Mission in the Republic of Cuba, organized a webinar entitled "The Needs of Cuba's Target Markets."

At that meeting the Cuban side presented three areas open to investment and/or collaboration with Moscow: cybersecurity, the use of AI in e-commerce and for payments, and the climate/renewable energy.

The presence on the list of Katapulk, the platform of Cuban-American Hugo Cancio, raised eyebrows when reviewing the e-commerce and payment businesses presented to Russian officials and entrepreneurs. Registered in Cuba and the United States, Cancio's business includes the food market, the importation of automobiles, telephone top-ups, and even legal and migratory procedures for emigrants.

Along with Katapulk, the webinar's list includes the businesses that the Cuban regime has in a similar area: Supermarket 23, related to the descendants of Guillermo García, a Revolution-era Commander; Mall Habana, a virtual store registered in Spain; Dofimall, a platform for trade between Cuban companies; Mandao, offered as an application that "allows one to send food orders, combos or packages to loved ones from anywhere in the world," and even TropiPay, a payment gateway and electronic wallet operated by the financial institution of the Cuban military, FINCIMEX, in the Iberian nation.

These businesses ask their customers for sensitive information, such as their home addresses, telephone numbers, and bank details, and more. Thus, what were they doing at a webinar together with companies like DATYS, Xetid, the telecommunications monopoly ETECSA, the Grupo Empresarial de la Informática y las Comunicaciones (Information Technology and Communications Business Group) and Segurmática, along with entities such as the Mariel Special Development Zone, the University of Computer Sciences (UCI), which also took its Havana Science and Technology Park?

Likewise, does it pose a risk to the US that Cancio, who since June 2024 has an agreement with Western Union to offer the money transfer service on the island, operates using software or digital support from companies controlled by the Kremlin

Cubans' sensitive data, in suspect hands

Xetid, or the Information Technology Company for Defense, is considered the technological arm of Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR). Founded in 2013 in collaboration with the UCI, it is the developer of EnZona, a payment application used by thousands of Cubans for various transactions.

Allied with ETECSA, in turn the creator of Transfermóvil, the other application used by Cubans to pay for gas, telephone, electricity and water services; fines, and to make bank transfers, together they unify the management of digital operations carried out by millions of people, including the remittances they receive.

This week, Tania Velázquez, executive president of the island's telecommunications monopoly, ETECSA, reported that Transfermóvil now has more than five million users, and grew 30% in 2024. More than 600,000 users use this "mobile wallet" to make payments and transfers, she explained.

Finally, DATYS is the name of an entity operated by the Cuban Ministry of the Interior (MININT) that develops biometric programs for fingerprint recognition, and was, according to a Cuban computer scientist who spoke to Martí Noticias in 2017, responsible for implementing the identification system in Venezuela, Bolivia, Nicaragua, and Ecuador, among other countries.

XETID and DATYS are sanctioned by the United States Department of State for their links to Havana's repressive apparatuses, especially Intelligence and Security, all connected to the business system managed by the GAESA business group.

According to Digital Technologies Department, attached to the Russian Federation's Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the foregoing are the Cuban entities that make up "the niche" of their computer companies.

Russia, the friend of Cuba's Big Brother

The webinar was led by singer Dmitry Fofanov, designated by Moscow as its "digital attaché" at the Russian Embassy in Cuba. According to the official, who delivered a long presentation on the business opportunities, "Cuba is fully developing its telecommunications and industrial infrastructure. Technologies for electronic payments, commerce and cybersecurity are being actively developed. Cuba's authorities and its scientific community are actively interested in Blockchain, cryptography, and quantum computing technologies."

According to Fofanov, Russian companies have "certain advantages" over any competition in this field, given "the special relationship historically established between Russia and Cuba." But, he warned, "strong overregulation, low solvency, the need for import loans, and protracted payment deferrals are negative factors for exporters."

The official noted that, since 2014, there has been an agreement between Havana and Moscow "on cooperation in the field of guaranteeing international information security."

"Cuban networks are exposed to thousands of DDoS attacks every day. At the same time, in recent months, these attacks have affected various government agencies, resources, and media outlets. Some cyberattacks were aimed at obtaining sensitive information, as well as control over these institutions' databases. For this reason, we see the information security segment as the most promising industry for information technology companies in Cuba," he emphasized.

Fofanov said that "the Cuban government is extremely concerned about the cyberattacks being carried out on the state network. There is an urgent need for cyber outreach technologies to train and educate staff and jointly refine this type of technology. Possible Cloud solutions are considered, even in the realm of cybersecurity."

In this regard, the collaboration with Russia aims at "the construction of a series of joint information security centers based on Russian and Cuban commercial companies with the potential to provide such services in the countries and regions of Latin America and the Caribbean." The latter emphasizes Moscow's interest in using Cuba as a point of penetration in the computer systems of other countries in the Americas.

Fofanov is fully aware of the interest aroused by e-commerce "with participation by foreign partners. Right now there are at least 20 online supermarkets in Cuba, as well as electronic showcases and markets with various products and a platform to deliver ready-to-eat products and restaurant orders."

The official considers this a field boasting potential due to the sums of money involved in the markets through which emigrants seek to alleviate the food insecurities suffered by their relatives on the Island.

"The local markets for Russian companies have a certain niche in the case of a possible technical study of payments for purchases with global cards. Potential consumers of such services could be numerous Russian emigrants in Cuba, Cuban citizens who studied during various periods in our country, as well as Russian tourists," he said.

Why Díaz-Canel is interested in Artificial Intelligence

At the end of his speech, Dmitry Fofanov pointed out the possibility of applying Artificial Intelligence in various sectors of the Cuban economy.

"In Cuba, there was talk of Artificial Intelligence at the end of the 1980s, mainly in academic circles. At that time, however, it did not really rise to prominence, which created a certain niche for foreign companies operating in this segment. With the resurgence of global interest in improving data processing capabilities, machine learning techniques, and increased computing power, Cuba has set its sights on this technology in earnest," he said.

"For example, in February of 2023 members of the Government of Cuba, including Miguel Díaz-Canel, met with representatives of the Cuban Academy of Sciences to discuss AI as part of the digital transformation of the State. Among the difficulties, Cuban scientists highlighted the scarce number of Cuban computer products or services in the field of Artificial Intelligence to solve the problems that arise, the lack of opportunities for careers in this field, and the lack of a national strategy to coordinate these efforts."

"But this strategy has already begun to take shape. Cuba, despite its technological limitations, has strong scientific potential for the development of Artificial Intelligence. Sberbank and the Havana Science and Technology Park are already working in this direction, having signed an agreement in May of last year. Cuban researchers share networked knowledge to develop technologies that apply Artificial Intelligence in sectors such as tourism, communications, construction, sports, renewable energy, and climate," he said.

"At the national level, Artificial Intelligence projects have already been included in several national programs, such as automation for robotics and Artificial Intelligence, a telecommunications and computerization program for society, a national program for the development of an integrated energy source, a national neuroscience and neurotechnology program, and others," he said.

Clearly, Havana has found in Moscow something that Beijing already is: an ally to further develop its tools for the surveillance of society. At the end of 2022 Prime Minister Manuel Marrero created the National Cybersecurity Working Group, which is under the direction of the president of the National Defense Council, a position held by Díaz-Canel.

In addition, last November the regime's Union of Computer Scientists signed an initial cooperation agreement on "training talent" with the Information Technology Campus’s Projects Office in the region of Nizhny Novgorod, and the Regional Center for National Digital Technologies Support and Coordination, and Gorky Tech Developers, both in the Eurasian nation.

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