Geneva, April 23 (RHC) – Cuba has filed a complaint before the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) over a covert mobile phone-based social network launched by the US on the island nation, with the aim to stir political unrest.

The social network, known as ZunZuneo, operated from 2010 to 2012, reaching more than 40,000 users at its peak. The network was developed under a secret program of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), a recent Associeted Press investigation revealed.

Cuban diplomat, Anayansi Rodríguez, said that ZunZuneo illegally used local service platforms, creating instability on the island's telecoms network.

Cuba also claims that the social network violated not just Cuban laws, but also US legislation and international regulations that prohibit spam messaging.

Meanwhile, Cuba's permanent mission in Geneva said that other social media platforms seeking to influence Cuban society - Piramideo, Martinoticias and Diario de Cuba - continue to receive US funding.

Those platforms aim to create a false opposition to implement a change in Cuba's political system in line with US government interests, the release said.