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Egyptian Parliament Passes Cybercrimes Law to Legitimize its Efforts to Curb Free Speech
Last week, the Egyptian parliament approved a draconian Law on Combating Information Technology Crimes, also ...
A Weeklong Crackdown on Freedom of Expression in the Arab World
This week, authorities arrested journalists, bloggers, and human rights activists in Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Early Wednesday morning, Egyptian police raided the home of journalist and blogger Wael Abbas and arrested him. His whereabouts are still unknown but authorities confiscated his personal computer, phones, and books, according to a statement published by the Arabic Network […]
Facebook Restricts Access to Content in Lebanon For the First Time
In Facebook’s newly published Transparency report, the company revealed it restricted or removed content in Lebanon for the first time since it began issuing the reports in 2013. The report also includes information about “legal requests from governments” and the implementation of its community standards in the latter half of 2017. Although Facebook has previously […]
iTunes Yields to Petition from SMEX and Lebanese Band Al-Rahel Al-Kabir
On May 11, SMEX and Lebanese band Al-Rahel Al-Kabir (The Great Departed) launched a petition demanding that iTunes Middle East release a public explanation for its refusal to upload five of the band’s songs, which mock religious fundamentalism, political oppression, military rule and other afflictions in the Middle East. The music giant contacted the band […]
Mauritanian Activists Accuse Telecom Company Mauritel of Abuse of Power
Mauritanian activists accused local telecom operator Mauritel of reporting some of their accounts on social media. This move, they say, comes after more than a week since they launched a digital rights campaign demanding that the company restore services it had removed and improve the quality of its services. Speaking to SMEX, Mauritanian journalist Ahmed […]