No OLPCs for Cuba or enemies of the US
By Jonathan Schlaffer
The US and Cuba don’t get along so well, in so far as it is illegal for US citizens to travel to Cuba. The OLPC (One laptop per child) was developed to provide cheap computers to children in developing nations. Cuba among other countries will not be getting them, ever.
I’m no expert on import/export laws but I do know that there is a trade embargo against Cuba that prevents trade with the US, though some does take place on a limited basis.
Since the OLPC is powered by a distribution of Fedora, the Fedora Export Control Matrix quite clearly states:
“Fedora’s software and/or technical data may NOT be exported/reexported, either directly or indirectly, to the following U.S. embargoed or restricted destinations:
Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan or Syria.
Please note: this list is subject to change.”
Cuba does let people have computers, with special permission from the government, meaning, not many people have them and access is strictly controlled, most of those with access can only access Cuba’s intranet, I’m guessing there isn’t much there.
Iran, what doesn’t it filter out; there’s no point in having a computer in Iran because all the good websites are blocked there.
North Korea is possibly worse than both the above.
As for Sudan and Syria, I have no comment.
I doubt it makes any difference to those governments or citizens whether they get the OLPC or not.
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June 29th, 2007
Cuba’s educational system has delivered among the highest literacy rates in North or South America.
Given that remarkable achievement, I would think that there are higher priorities to supply OLPCs to needier children in needier countries rather than Cuba–as much as I don’t like Castro and his regime of thugs.
What’s going to be a heart breaker for the OLPC project (and others that are similar) is the par-for-the-course widespread graft and corruption that is present in many of these “needy” countries.
How do you supply OLPC to children in Afghanistan, where the Taliban insurgents are destroying newly-built or rebuilt schools? Those are the same thugs who deny girls an education!!