Donald Trump

Trump Reversal on Cuba Policy Could Hurt Cybersecurity, Tourism, Cubans Say

"The progress that we've made could be set back," a Cuban official said of joint efforts against hacking, drug trafficking

Cubans say that President Donald Trump's plans to roll back diplomatic and commercial ties could hurt the island nation's cybersecurity efforts and small businesses, NBC News reported.

Lt. Col Yohanka Rodriguez said that joint efforts between Cuban and U.S. authorities to fight drug trafficking and cybercrime will likely end, cutting short the successful sharing of intelligence that occurred under Obama-era policies.

"The progress that we've made could be set back," Rodriguez, who runs a Cuban cybersecurity command center, said of the announcement expected Friday.

According to her, Cuba provided intel on at least 17 cybercrime cases related to the U.S., such as suspected identity theft and hacking attacks on Cuba from American IP addresses.

Still, as Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson insist that the Cuban government is committing human rights violations, small business owners on the island fear that they stand to lose customers with increased tourism restrictions on U.S. travelers.

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