“Mapping Internet Laws” is a three-day workshop hosted by SMEX, in collaboration with Cyrilla, to deepen participants’ understanding of the laws that govern the activities of people and companies on the internet. This three-day capacity-building event equips journalists, researchers, legal professionals, and digital rights defenders with the necessary tools to navigate the dynamic legal landscapes of digital spaces.
Expected Outcomes
- Participants will acquire essential knowledge about the threats and challenges to a free, accessible digital sphere in WANA.
- Participants will learn how digital rights advocacy has been conducted so far, its successes and shortcomings, and how they can get involved.
- Participants will learn how to use Cyrilla as a useful resource for digital rights advocacy and legal research tools.
During the first day, participants will attend two sessions on Internet Communication Technologies (ICT) and their legal ecosystem in WANA. The sessions will address some of the main regional challenges in the digital sphere, including access, shutdowns, privacy and surveillance. On the second day, participants will have the opportunity to attend a recap of day one and take part in a Q&A. A second session will explore the importance of and challenges to online freedom of expression, followed by a session detailing the impact of content moderation on vulnerable groups. During the last day, with participants having acquired basic knowledge of the topic, they will attend a comparative session to understand threats and challenges in the digital sphere in other regions in the Global South; then, to build upon their knowledge, the main findings of digital rights research over the years will be presented. Lastly, participants will learn about the comprehensive Cyrilla database, an indispensable laws-mapping tool they can adopt in their fight for digital rights.
Armed with a comprehensive understanding of the laws and policies that govern digital spaces in WANA and their impact on human rights, attendees will have a greater legal understanding of digital rights issues and a better chance at conducting future research. In addition, participants will gain practical, hands-on knowledge of Cyrilla’s potential as an indispensable tool for more effective digital rights advocacy.
Application Details
Date and Location: September 14, 15, and 18, 2023. The workshop will take place online.
Deadline: Apply by filling out this form by July 30, 2023.
Selection Process: Participants will be selected based on the relevance of the workshop to their field of work.
Number of places: 25-30.
Contact: cyrillaworkshop@smex.org.
This workshop will be held in English, with Arabic interpretation if needed.
About Cyrilla
CYRILLA is an open database of digital rights law from around the world. The multilingual database is developed and maintained by the CYRILLA Collaborative, a global initiative that seeks to map and analyze the evolution and impacts of legal frameworks on digital environments, particularly in the Global South. SMEX, as a member of the collaborative, is responsible for coverage of the MENA region. As a CYRILLA user, you can access legislation, cases, and analyses concerning human rights in digitally-networked spaces. You can also filter these resources by region or issue area. In addition to CYRILLA’s filtering capabilities, the database notably links relevant resources to each other, allowing you to easily navigate between an article of legislation and the judicial decision that cited it.
