In this session, Jillian C. York discusses her book “Silicon Values: The Future of Free Speech Under Surveillance Capitalism,” while keeping in mind these two crucial questions: How do companies like Google, Facebook and Amazon threaten our democracy? And what happens to free speech under surveillance capitalism? The internet once[...]
SMEX calls upon public bodies and private companies to respect the privacy of vaccine-seekers and to abide by the laws in force, particularly Law No. 81/2018 on Electronic Transactions and Personal Data. Lebanese company Pharmaline is supplying COVID-19 vaccines to the private sector in Lebanon, and it has published its[...]
In this #BreadandNet 2020 session, Professor Abderrazak Ben Hamida from iCompass outlined the importance of chatbots for connecting vulnerable people to services, focusing on the Tunisian chatbot 3ziza which provides Tunisian vulnerable groups with support during the pandemic.
In this #BreadandNet 2020 session Shadi Abou-Zahra from W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) discusses what does digital accessibility actually means and how can we ensure websites and apps work for everyone, with and without disability? Covering international efforts on digital accessibility that we collectively need to promote in the MENA[...]
In this #BreadandNet 2020 session, Sacha Robehmed from International Rescue Committee (IRC) discusses the role of online platforms in connecting organizations to individuals, while maintaining online privacy and security. COVID-19 forced many humanitarian organizations to rapidly adopt digital tools like Whatsapp to share information with crisis-affected populations, and to deliver[...]
In this #BreadandNet 2020 session Dima Jweihan from The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law (ICNL), Nahla Hamdani from WeYouth, and Lina Jarrous from Seeds discuss the online presence of civil society organizations and cyberlaw, moderated by Lisa Vermeer. Today, almost all civil society organizations (CSOs) have an online presence. This[...]
This report analyzes data protection and privacy laws in Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. Joey Shea, a researcher and analyst specialized in security and political repression, documents the deployment of COVID-19 contact tracing applications in these states. The report, which was supported through CYRILLA’s Applied Advocacy and[...]
We have witnessed in the last couple of years a striking increase in the number of devices seized by security agencies in Lebanon, a phenomenon that became more pronounced following the October 2019 uprising. When it comes to these seizures, the legal framework is vague and often exploited or circumvented[...]
SMEX is looking for an Event Manager to lead and implement Bread&Net, the annual SMEX unconference on digital rights in the MENA region. The manager will be responsible for organizing and hosting the 2021 edition of Bread&Net which will take place around November/December. Responsibilities: Project the vision and the[...]
In Lebanon, passports, drivers’ licenses, work permits, residency permits, and humanitarian aid all use systems that require biometric data, such as unique fingerprints or iris scans of citizens, residents, and refugees. In 2017, the newly passed electoral law stated that voters would use “magnetic voting cards” to vote in the[...]
