SMEX advances digital rights
in West Asia and North Africa.
Who we are
SMEX is a non-profit that advocates for and advances human rights in digital spaces across West Asia and North Africa.
Our Vision
Our vision is for everyone living in West Asia-North Africa and the diaspora to be able to access and engage with the internet, mobile services, and other networked spaces safely and without fear of censorship, surveillance, or repercussion.
Our mission
SMEX advances freedom of expression and the right to privacy in WANA through research and reporting, monitoring state and tech companies’ policies, protecting the safety and security of online users, and collaborating with regional advocates to sustain a safer digital space.
What we do
Our Digital Safety Helpdesk assists internet users facing digital threats in the region
3381
Tickets received
1289
Tickets escalated
729
Journalists assisted
900
Activists assisted
News
Latest Articles
Latest news at the intersection of technology and human rights in WANA.
Everyone else owns subsea cables. Why doesn’t Lebanon?
Subsea cables are the hidden infrastructure of the internet. They are fiber-optic systems laid across seabeds, carrying around 98 percent…
Dual-use and dual damage: what the targeting of data centers...
For the first time in military history, private-sector commercial data centers have been deliberately targeted and damaged in an active…
Solidarity in times of crisis: what RightsCon 2026’s cancellation means...
RightsCon 2026, one of the biggest in-person convenings for digital rights, was de facto cancelled after Zambia’s government postponed it…
Lebanon’s data security problem, explained
As the war escalates, the digital battlefield is proving just as volatile as the physical one putting civilian lives directly…
Shared links can track you. Here is how to get...
If you’ve ever wondered how platforms seem to know exactly where you came from, like prompting you to follow an…
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