US denies that 'Cuban Twitter' was developed to create political unrest

Last week, we brought you the story of ZunZuneo, an oddly-named startup that sought to launch a social network like Twitter in Cuba. The twist in the tale, is that it was built and funded by the United States Agency of International Development, allegedly as a way to slowly turn the island's youth away from rum and cigars and toward a local version of the Arab Spring. Naturally, the agency denies this, posting a rebuttal online that says the project was designed to circumvent the "information blockade" to connect people who have been cut off from the outside world. At a hearing on Capitol Hill, USAID head Rajiv Shah publicly denied the allegations, saying that "working to improve platforms of communication is a core part of what USAID works to do." We're sure that this story is going to run and run, at least until it forms the plot of the next Jason Bourne movie.